The Mechanism of War
by Arktos
Summary: Post-series. Black Ghost has revived with no opposition in sight. Reawakened in a future that should seem hopeless, 004 is forced to adapt to a reinvented enemy and a new time. The search for the remaining cyborgs has begun.
1. Flight

_Summary:_ Post-series. Black Ghost has revived with no opposition in sight. Reawakened in a future that should seem hopeless, 004 is forced to adapt to a reinvented enemy and a new time. The search for the remaining cyborgs has begun.

 _Author's Note:_ This is 004-centric, but I'm starting it with an OC first, just to warn. Anyone who wants to help me out with understanding the cultures I'm writing about in this story is welcome to offer advice! I'm doing my best but I have no personal understanding of them outside of what I've researched.

 _Dedication:_ To my grandfather, who passed away last summer. Also my thanks to Lupin, Wisnia and Sam for helping me with this in various ways!

 _ **The Mechanism of War**_

 **Chapter One: Flight**

'Black Ghost' was a name that meant nothing to me. When I was snatched from a dark alleyway in the middle of the night, I was just another victim. But it was that name they whispered in the dark as they planned what to do with me. It was that name that first made me feel true fear. With my last moments of freedom playing out in my mind, I had heard it again, echoing over and over again until it became just a mess of sound.

The first part of my evening had been clear enough to decipher. Some fuzzy impressions of an office outing and a very tipsy walk back alone to my apartment. I hadn't made the best decisions, but I could see the drunken logic behind it. Why break the law by driving home when I could take a train ride and a short walk?

I had congratulated myself for avoiding that expensive ticket up until the headlights had appeared, searing and painfully bright. Hands had pulled and pushed me into a car as I stumbled and fell. Shadowed faces watched me scream. I had prayed to black out and wake up from the nightmare I was experiencing, and when that mercy was granted, there was some part of me that was convinced it was over.

That illusion disappeared with a small click, and the electronic whine of an intercom.

"The human test subject is awake. Proceed with the assessment of Cyborg 004."

I heard another click and then the hiss of more static before I'd even processed the announcement. Someone was speaking in English? With a growing sense of panic, I sat up, opening my eyes and looking around in complete disorientation. Everything was a blurry mess of bright lights, a hangover pounding away in my head. I was barely awake and groggy, but I felt apprehensive. Something strange was happening that I didn't fully understand.

Smaller aches and pains slowly spread throughout my body. My arms felt tender and sore, as if invisible hands were still gripping them tight, and my throat was hoarse. I wasn't lying on rough, warm pavement anymore. The ground felt unnaturally smooth and cold as ice. What was going on?

"Cyborg 004, your target is the human test subject. Use any means necessary to terminate."

The words from the intercom didn't make sense at first, and when I pieced together the meaning behind them I froze completely in place, unable to breathe or to move. Some part of me grasped that I didn't have the luxury of asking questions, that my life was now in real danger, and I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with a ferocity that surprised me.

Finally, everything came into focus. Gone were the city streets of Seoul, but what had replaced them seemed so outlandish that I could only stare in shock at my surroundings, certain I was still dreaming. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck, and I realized it didn't matter. My survival would depend on my actions in the next few minutes.

I was in a large, rounded room lit by blinding spotlights. In front of me was some kind of mounted observation platform with dark-tinted windows, where I could only assume the people in charge of the test were watching. The walls looked dented and burned, and in some places newly welded with untarnished steel. A sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as I realized I was probably not the first person to wake up this way. It was a room designed for one purpose only, as a place for me to die.

All of this I noticed in the span of a few seconds, but ceased to matter when I saw red and the flash of a blade out of the corner of my eye. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a weak gasp as I felt the swipe of the blade near my shoulder, my leg and my side, all in one single precise motion.

I was on my feet immediately. My frantic eyes noticed two grooves in the otherwise uniform wall, and I slammed my body against it in desperation as bullets ricocheted off the walls. I turned and finally managed a shriek as a man dressed in red and yellow stood in front of me.

"Cyborg 004, terminate immediately!"

A blade pressed into my throat. I stopped breathing. His grey eyes were cold and hard and very serious. I desperately searched his expressionless face for any sign of compassion, or even hesitance. There wasn't a single shred of emotion or humanity to be found. A chill traveled down my spine.

He pulled away, and I collapsed from relief, my trembling even worse now that the imminent threat had retreated. I stared up at him in a mixture of astonishment and fear, unable to look away from the blade that I now saw was a fixed part of one of his hands. With a quiet click, it slid out of sight and he relaxed. I noticed smoke in the air and followed the trail down to the tips of his other hand, which appeared to be covered in some kind of metal. Jointed like armored gloves, even though I knew it must be mechanical if he could use it as a gun.

"Doctor Messerschmitt, what is the meaning of-"

There was a loud bang, and then another, over the intercom. I twitched at each shot, rising and automatically preparing to run. At a loss for what to do, I looked over again at the man, who regarded me calmly. As if he hadn't tried to kill me mere moments before.

What had changed?

I could feel the door behind me move, and stumbled back. I slipped on the polished floor and landed awkwardly on my foot, wincing at the unbearable pain that streaked up my leg. Blinking back tears, I reaching down with a shaking hand to cradle my poor foot.

"Good evening."

Glancing up at the heavily-accented greeting, I found myself looking at a very pleased older woman in a lab coat. Something in her smile and gentle eyes reminded me of a kindergarten teacher, a thought that seemed so wildly out of place I wondered for a moment if shock had driven me insane. Kneeling, she reached out and grasped my ankle, starting to massage around the heel. I cringed at the pain.

"Surviving an encounter with a zero-zero cyborg, but injuring your ankle immediately afterwards? Incredible." She said with great amusement, then moved on to examining my cuts.

When I heard her sound of disbelief, I looked down and realized that he hadn't even broken the skin. There were no large tears in the fabric, and no blood. He hadn't hurt me. I had just felt the air from the blade passing by, a fraction of an inch above my clothing.

The woman looked impressed. "Well, it appears you probably have a sprain, but otherwise you're fine."

"What's…going on…" I croaked as she stood up again, this time offering a hand and helped me up carefully, supporting me as I tried not to let my foot touch the floor.

"Well," She began with a tenderness that somehow seemed predictable, "You were supposed to die during that test, so I can't claim to have all the answers. My escape plan didn't include a malfunctioning cyborg, although I was hoping I would be able to save you."

That made me even more confused, looking at the man I could only assume she was referring to. "A cyborg…?"

She pulled out a small tablet-like device from inside her coat and started fiddling with it, her attention now completely captured by the screen. "Yes, and a dangerous one at that. I've spent years trying to reprogram him to follow my orders, progress you just erased in a ridiculously small fraction of time. Please try to keep up, I am disabling the security systems around the base as we speak and we won't be having this conversation for long."

I had to lean against the wall for support, staring at the cyborg and feeling hopelessly lost. "He's like a robot with…with human flesh?"

That thought seemed far too terrifyingly removed to be true, like something out of a horror movie from overseas. The woman continued, ignoring my question.

"It took a lot of work to make him bend to my will compared to a robot, which are conveniently less…emotional. This fellow has endured quite a lot over his lifetime, considering he practically belongs in a museum."

She smirked. "I couldn't resist restoring him to his former glory, and my hopes were his reputation might scare off my superiors long enough to buy us some time."

"He was once _**human**_?" I suddenly remembered his metal hand. Horrible visions of exposed body parts and scalpels filled my head, and I wanted to throw up. I couldn't imagine the kind of pain and suffering that would involve. I hugged myself, and shivered at the thought of something like that happening to me, unable to hold back a wave of immense pity for the cyborg.

She stopped tinkering with the screen long enough to look up at me, then shrugged. "I suppose so, I've never really given it much thought. But never mind that now, we have more important matters to attend to. I have an escape route set up, and you are welcome to join me if you so choose. I've made arrangements, so we should have a clear path out with very little resistance."

Unsure if I really wanted to trust my life to someone who had been willing to watch me die, I paused. But did I have any other choice? My purse had mysteriously disappeared, I had no way of contacting my husband or anyone who could help me, and this woman seemed like the closest thing to an authority of anything around. I didn't even know where I was, or how to get out…which wasn't even touching the list of questions I had about what had just transpired.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "I'll follow you, but I want to ask a few things."

I was startled when the woman clapped her hands together, beaming in a way that reminded me of my mother. Vaguely patronizing, but also genuinely affectionate.

"Good! Well then, I suppose I should answer some of the standard ones first, shouldn't I? My name is Doctor Eva Messerschmitt, but you can just call me Eva." She primped needlessly at her grey hair, looking far too carefree and cheerful all things considering. "You have been abducted by the Black Ghost organization for the purposes of testing one of their refurbished prototypes. The goal of your stay being, of course, to meet a timely and satisfactory death at the hands of Cyborg 004."

Eva tapped her chin thoughtfully with one finger. "Speaking of which, I hope he'll still follow my orders. 004, carry our little pink princess here."

How rude of her, I thought in annoyance. "My name is Su-Bin Tae! Now I may not be the toughest person, but-"

I choked on my words when I felt myself being lifted, my legs and back supported in a bridal carry. Being touched felt awkward, and it took everything out of me not to fight him. My headache had returned full force, and here I was being held by a strange man (cyborg, I reminded myself) in a strange place after being kidnapped by…what kind of people were behind this, come to think of it?

I looked at his blank expression once again, forcing myself to push aside the fact that he had nearly killed me. This time his eyes didn't seem quite as cold and hard as they did before, and I felt reassured. At least, after checking my skirt was still decent….

"Well, that's interesting." I saw Eva peer over her glasses and smile, as if I'd confirmed some esoteric theory of hers, and felt unnerved. Something about those light blue eyes made me feel like I was still being tested.

Putting her hands once more in her pockets, she pleasantly remarked, "Now, would you care for a tour through hell?"

I nodded, guessing it was a rhetorical question, since clearly I didn't have any other options. She laughed, and a shudder traveled through my body at the sound. I wasn't normally the kind to scare easily, setting aside the past few minutes, but there was something…off about her. Trying to ignore how unsettled the whole affair made me feel, I clung tightly to the cyborg and shut my eyes, nausea clawing at my throat. But I didn't start shaking until I heard distant gunfire.

"Looks like our time is up." Eva said brightly. "Now, 004, follow me."

It was one of the oddest experiences of my life, being carried down that corridor by a cyborg, following a crazy scientist to what I hoped was freedom. It was like a joke that needed a punch line. Would that make me the comic relief, I wondered, but then I felt uncomfortable with the direction my thoughts had taken. Why they were even here to begin with, since the woman and the cyborg were both probably foreigners? They certainly didn't look Korean, and they both seemed to respond well to English. I felt very out of place between them.

Thankfully, the walk down that long, boring hallway was uneventful. It wasn't until we turned a corner and emerged in an aircraft hanger that I truly understood what this could mean.

"How are we going to escape?" I asked, eyeing a huge plane we passed that looked like a misguided attempt to meld together a biplane and a retro-looking spaceship. I could only pray to whatever benevolent entity that might listen that we weren't going to steal an airplane.

"Steal an airplane, of course." Eva responded, as if reading my mind. "What's life without a little adventure anyways? The other prisoners are already onboard, thanks to my robot assistants. I find it's better to be fashionably late to a party, anyways."

I was shaking again, but this time with anger, and twisted myself as close to upright as I could, forcing the cyborg to put me down. "This isn't a joke! We could die!"

Eva snorted. "Calm down, you're worse than the higher ups. No sense of humor."

Halting in behind the tail of a (somewhat less uncanny looking) airplane, she pulled out her tablet and pressed the screen. The back slid open to form a ramp large enough to ferry tanks up, and Eva went inside, emerging with crutches that I gratefully accepted. She also handed me a familiar pink purse, and I felt a sudden spike of distrust. It was obvious she'd held on to it to manipulate me into coming. But why?

There was a glimmer in her eyes I didn't like, and she had a smile I recognized all too well. The kind of smile that meant she was going to tell me something I wasn't going to like and she knew it.

Sure enough, as soon as I finished putting my purse on, she spoke up. "Well, time to say your goodbyes. 004, your orders are to remain here and die in the explosion. Thank you for your assistance."

"W-What?!" I could barely believe what I was hearing. "But he's human-"

"Was human." She corrected with a quieter voice. "Honestly, he's too much of a hazard to bring with us, especially considering how helpful he could be holding them off. I know you feel grateful he spared your life, but he did nearly kill you, and I can only wonder what other things might happen if he disobeys another order."

"But…but 004 stopped himself! He saved me!"

Eva sighed, rubbing her forehead and appearing frustrated with me. "I saved him originally, that doesn't mean very much when it comes to preserving our lives. The fact is, I don't want a potentially defective weapon on board when I have plenty of top-of-the-line robots as it is. He's useless to us, and at this point it would be kinder to end his life then try to rehabilitate him. I don't like it any better than you do, but…what kind of a future do you think he would have?"

She seemed genuinely remorseful, and I was suddenly hesitant. It was wrong to let someone die…but if that person wasn't human anymore, was it really all that wrong? He could have killed me, and I knew NOTHING about this strange man. I owed him nothing. He could be a seasoned killer, and he certainly had to be dangerous if my kidnappers feared him as much as Eva said, especially if he could disobey his programming. Whatever his life had been before he'd been repurposed by Eva, he had done enough damage to intimidate an organization that had no qualms kidnapping people and making cyborgs out of others.

But at the same time…for whatever reason, he hadn't killed me, despite having every justification to go through with it. Was he just using me? Was there still a person trapped inside that cybernetic body? If he was an enemy of Black Ghost before all this, wasn't there a chance that he might have once found himself in the same circumstances as me? I had no way of really knowing, but I wanted to find out, and I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left him to die. He had, in the strangest way, saved my life. I couldn't let that go.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for an fight I didn't want to have. It felt like being back at work again. Just another business deal that required a lot of convincing and far too many promises, except I didn't have a long time to prepare and I certainly didn't have a compelling argument for how it would all pay off. If only I had proof this would work out…I wasn't one for gambles, but I would do my best.

Crossing my arms, I tried to appear more confident then I actually was. "If this organization is as big as it seems to be, you're going to need help to escape. You mentioned other cyborgs like him…if they're out there, isn't he the best way to find them? If we help him overcome whatever programming you've put into him, he might even help you willingly."

Eva looked unimpressed. "I had considered something similar, but I don't have time to watch a faulty cyborg. Disconnecting the programming would be the simple part; I have no idea how he would react or what kind of care he needs to properly restore his mind. I have a ship full of prisoners to save, and I'm running out of time."

I grit my teeth, knowing that there could be a chance I would regret my next words. "I'll look after him."

She made a tittering sound. "A pet cyborg? Wouldn't a dog be better?"

"I'm serious. With that many robots, a few can be spared if something goes wrong. It's worth the risk." I didn't bother to look diplomatic about it, I just stared her straight in the eyes, daring her to refuse me.

Instead, Eva shrugged. "Very well, if you're that attached to him, I suppose he might be useful to keep around. But if he endangers someone's life, I won't hesitate to have him terminated, even if you have a crush on him."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please, I'm married."

"So was I." She said with a smirk, "He can come aboard for now, as long you keep him under control."

My stomach churned at the thought, but I didn't change my expression. "So I guess this means we're leaving?"

"Yes, so you should really hurry up." Eva crossed her arms. "You know, if helping him 'regain himself' really is your priority, maybe you should offer him a choice to come or not. His programming relies on the decision-making portion of his brain to make him successful in battle; maintaining the existing human element was the whole goal behind his reconditioning. Just think of it as being…similar to how people make decisions when lucid dreaming, or under hypnosis. He's not fully conscious, but it is his decision."

There were so many things I wanted her to elaborate on about that, but I knew my curiosity would have to wait. I tried to maneuver on my crutches to face the cyborg, aware for the first time that he probably had a human name, a life beyond the stern-looking soldier I could only see before me now. He looked very pale in this light. How defenseless he would be without someone to make sure he didn't follow anymore terrible orders? But I also grimaced, knowing I might not like whatever answer he gave me. My question would have to be worded very carefully.

"004…you can stay, or come with us."

Damn my English skills, that didn't sound as pressure-free as I'd hoped. I wasn't exactly sure what I expected from him, but I felt my breath catch in my throat when he moved to stand next to me. The gesture was bizarrely touching. Whatever it meant, I felt myself starting to have a little more faith in the person he might turn out to be. His motivations aside, this was a very trusting move on his part.

"Such stirring loyalty." Eva remarked wryly, and I became aware again that there was more at stake than just one cyborg. There was something about her voice that put me on edge, and I had to glance down on my pink flats for a moment. The clicking sound of her own shoes against the metal ramp forced me to look back up.

"I'll try to fix him once we're in safer waters. Hurry, security should be starting to catch up with us soon."

I heard a strange sound, like sizzling, and the smell of something burning reached me before a white-hot pain swiped past my shoulder. The world spun, my body smacking into a firm surface I realized could only be the ramp. It gave way, and there was a hard crack as I hit the smooth floor of the hanger, agony ripping through me.

I could only scream, the thud of another body hitting the floor flooding my own with pure terror. I felt something cold and metal cover my mouth. A hand? I was pulled away, across that seamless concrete floor into darkness before I could even scream. I could barely see the light of the hanger.

A rumbling sound filled the air, a machine coming to life under strain. I felt a burst of hot air and saw the sudden flash of fire scorching the ground. Wheels rolled past my hiding spot, and I heard angry shouts I could only assume were the security guards Eva had mentioned. With disbelief, I slowly understood that what I was seeing was my plane taking off without me.

Sobs threatened to give me up as the roar of the engines gradually faded. My only shot at freedom, and it was gone. My future away from this hell seemed to grow dimmer with every second, and that final crushing disappointment only seemed to fuel my despair. When would this end?!

"We shot one of the targets, search the area while we wait for air support. I want that scum found!"

I clapped my hands over my mouth, trying to still my breathing as I saw boots run by. My shoulder was throbbing. I knew it was probably bleeding, but I didn't have time for that now. I took inventory of my surroundings, and it didn't take me long to figure out I was under another airplane ramp. It was low enough that I could barely sit up straight, but kept me hidden enough for now.

I knew he would be behind me, and sure enough, I was right. There was Cyborg 004, with the same featureless expression as always. But I felt a sense of newfound respect for him. This was the first time he had explicitly saved me. I could remember Eva's orders that required him to protect me, that was true, but he had put himself in danger. Even though he could possibly have resisted his programming, there had been no hesitation.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. At this point, he was probably my only ally in this awful place. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed his hand, looking straight at him and trying not to wonder if there was someone looking back. If I was alone in this or not.

"004, I'm sorry, but please follow me a little while longer."

I banished all thoughts of potential failure or consequences from my mind and focused on escape routes. I could hear flight crews yelling at each other as they prepared their planes, and to my shock, I noticed a breeze coming on my left. After Eva's plane had left, they hadn't bothered to close the hanger.

It was my only option.

Now brimming with a sense of purpose, I ripped off a piece of my skirt, taking my jacket and even my shirt off to bandage my arm. I blushed a little at the thought that I was essentially stripping in front of a man, knowing what my parents would say, but tried my best to suppress my embarrassment. There were more important things to worry about.

Once I finished that, I set about maneuvering the both of us between the spaces in the planes, trying to avoid being seen. 004 seemed much more experienced than me, however; I frequently found myself pulled out of the way of a passing guard, feeling frustrated that I had to be the one leading. With my ripped clothing and a busted ankle that screamed in agony with each step I took, I looked more like the lost cause of this partnership.

Jumping at every noise, I was tense and fearful. Just another step, I told myself, and sure enough when we passed the last plane I knew I had made it. My freedom was almost secure!

"Here we go, 004." I whispered excitedly, mock saluting the passing boots of another guard. "So long idiots, I am out of here!"

I darted out silent as a mouse, only to slide to a halt as I stared down the runway. I walked over to the corner of the elevated airstrip and looked over the side. Water stretched out as far as I could see below an impossibly high cliff, and in the distance I saw no signs of light or skyscrapers in the dark sky. I was obviously nowhere near Seoul, possibly not even in Korea, and the thought was so alien to me I had to pull myself away.

The cliff leading down was extremely rocky, and in a brief moment of insanity, I wondered if we could make it by climbing. It was true that we didn't have the proper equipment, and this was a far cry from anything I'd experienced before, but was there any other choice?

I checked to make sure we hadn't been spotted, but I could only see the one guard, still walking away with his back turned. Sighing in relief, I tried to think practically. Were there any other escape routes? I couldn't really envision any that didn't end in surrender or being captured again. Both of which would inevitably end with both of us dying, or worse.

My mind was soon made up, but I knew this would be yet another decision I needed to give to the cyborg that had followed me this far.

"004…you have a choice. Follow me, or go back." I said softly, finding it very difficult to make eye contact. I did so anyways, and I knew the nervous excitement was plain on my face as I tried not to think too deeply about what I was about to propose.

"I'm going to climb down the cliffside. I know that will be dangerous, but there honestly isn't any other way we can go, unless you can fly an airplane."

Pausing, I waited for some sign that he confirmed he had heard me. Nothing, not even a twitch. Was that a no? Looking back at the guard, who would probably turn around to pass by this area again soon, I knew I had to act quickly. I started to climb down, cautiously placing my feet on two sturdy looking holds in the cliff. I looked to my left, and noticed a darker part of the water in the distance. A beach? There was no way to tell without sunlight, but it seemed like a reasonable enough goal.

Feeling slightly more confident in my plan than I had only a few seconds ago, I picked my way down the cliff warily. When I accidentally glanced down, I forced myself to look up and close my eyes, waiting for my frightened shivering to stop before I keep going. I heard a rock shift and looked up to see 004 once again following my lead, and felt comforted. If he'd chosen this way, that meant he must think we had a chance to make it as well.

Soon enough, however, I was so exhausted I was shaking. We had to make it, we just had to. I reached out, conscious of the weight of my arms. The soreness in my muscles.

My hand slipped.

At once I saw the water rise up towards me, the violent rush of air making me dizzy-headed and unable to breathe. I heard my torn clothing flap erratically around me, and registered the fact that I was falling just as I hit the water.


	2. Ally?

_Author's Note:_ OKAY so this chapter switches straight to 004, in what will become a pattern in the future. Not that four chapters is a long time to establish that, since that's only as long as this'll last. Notes at the bottom will explain some cultural things? AGAIN I'M NOT EVEN CLOSE TO AN AUTHORITY ON THIS STUFF feel free to correct me if you know better.

 _ **The Mechanism of War**_

 **Chapter Two: Ally?**

At first, I didn't realize I was free. I was lost in the crush of the water, the pull of the tide. Lights shimmering above drifted farther away each second, but they were clear and close enough to touch. Something brushed past my arm, and I flinched. It was the first movement I had made by myself in years.

I forced my fingers to twitch, closing them into a fist. Bringing my hand up close, I marveled at the ability to move as I wanted without restrictions, without resistance. There was no fog clouding my mind, and my thoughts were mine alone.

My head hurt, and even in this body I could feel the chill of the water, but I had never felt more alive. Everything had become much more detailed, more real.

I had control again.

Remembering in alarm that I wasn't alone, I could see something else suspended in the darkness. A person? I caught a glimpse of her face through the tendrils of her long black hair. Her face was pale, her eyes were closed, and she didn't appear conscious. Reaching out to grab her, I pulled her closer. She was completely still, despite the fact she must need air, and I had no way of knowing how long we'd spent below the surface.

The light was so far away now. I grit my teeth, pushing her towards the light. I just needed her to hold on a little longer…

We broke the surface, and I tilted her face up as high as I could above water, taking a deep breath myself before I focused on trying to revive her. I needed it to speak. "Hey, wake up."

My voice sounded unfamiliar. Raspy and hoarse, like it hadn't been used it years. When there was no response I started to panic, and I had to force my straining vocal cords to a louder pitch.

"Come on, live!"

She coughed, and I felt relief. Seeing the shore in the distance, I started swimming towards it, trying to keep her head elevated so she could breathe. We were making slower progress then I would have normally liked, but I was focused only on keeping her face away from the water.

When it came to the point where I could let the current guide me the rest of the way, I felt my boots touch the shifting rocks of the shore. We emerged from the water wet and shivering, and I kept a lookout for searchlights, waiting for the sirens that would give our escape away. They never came.

I slung her onto my back and carried us through the waves, lowering her down gently when the stone shores gave way to smooth, bare rock. Sitting down, I took a deep breath. Now that immediate survival was no longer a priority, I could relax.

The air was chilly, but there was a warm breeze. I could hear crickets chirping. Under any other circumstances, this would have been a pleasant summer night. Was it even summer? I had no way of knowing how much time had passed.

I wasn't even tired; my shivering felt more like a nervous reaction then a result of the cold. Looking down at my hands, I could recall dim memories of an operating table. Scalpels. Electric wires that seemed to go on forever. The worst kind of pain imaginable.

I tried to put it from my mind. It was just too disturbing.

From our position on the shore, I could see the circular outline of the base we had managed to escape from. It appeared unnaturally symmetrical and out of place against the jagged rocks and treetops surrounding it; dark and intimidating, but far enough away that it would take time for a search party to find us. Assuming they sent one at all. We had a head start, and it was reasonable to assume the guards thought we had been on the plane.

The perfect setup for a surprise attack, I immediately thought. I couldn't have asked for better circumstances. They outnumbered me, but I had the advantage of time and stealth on my side. I even had a vague working knowledge of the base layout, if I found a way to access those memories in fuller detail.

I glanced at the woman. Her features were easy to make out despite how dark it was, and she appeared peaceful and completely relaxed. I had no idea how she could sleep for so long, she showed no signs of having a concussion, so I didn't worry too much. The events from earlier had obviously taken a toll on her, even if I had a feeling that wasn't the only reason.

More out of habit, I checked my radio link, a clammy feeling settling in my chest when I realized no one was in range. Even if I hadn't expected anything different, it was difficult for me to accept I was alone in enemy territory and I had no clue where the others were. Assuming they were even still alive.

Wincing, I knew I didn't want to think about that any more than I had to. At least not for now.

She rolled over, and I could hear her yawn, stretching one arm. I wondered if the woman would she notice if I left, considering how deeply she was sleeping. I couldn't take her with me if I was planning to infiltrate a Black Ghost base, that much I knew, but leaving her here asleep and vulnerable didn't seem safe either. I crossed my arms and tried to avoid looking at her. This wasn't the time to get sentimental. Lives could be at stake, and my concern for one person's wellbeing could result in other people's deaths.

She opened her eyes before I had a chance to make a decision, sitting up with a wary, fearful look on her face that reminded me of a cornered animal. It went away as soon as she saw me, and before I had a chance to react she was right in front on me.

"You aren't hurt are you?" She asked, and then laughed nervously. "Look at me, talking as if I expect an answer."

She reached forward to grab my arm, and I pulled back. "I'm fine."

Her mouth parted once, and then she closed it again, sitting back to stare at me. "You…you can talk now?"

I shrugged, nonchalant. "I guess so."

She looked away from me and adjusted her torn jacket, obviously trying not to lose her temper. "Mr. Cyborg, I have no clue what's going on, except that it's very dangerous and I could die, so I would appreciate it if you didn't act like this was one big joke to you. Because I don't find it funny, especially since you never said anything before!"

After that outburst, she seemed suddenly hesitant to continue. "You were acting like a mindless robot, and I thought after what the doctor said you were…brainwashed. I mean, after what happened at the beginning when you nearly…"

Trailing off, She looked away, clutching her hands tightly enough for me to see the whites of her knuckles. I didn't know how to react, feeling helpless when I saw tears start to dot the rocks next to her. What could I say? That I didn't even remember what had happened? That I was relieved it hadn't gone any farther?

She sighed a wavering sigh. "I apologize, I know that wasn't helpful. It just…slipped out. Thank you for saving me."

Standing up, I looked back at the base in the distance and I knew we had to start moving. An early start didn't mean we had all the time in the world.

"If you're quiet and you hide yourself well, they won't find you." I slowly crossed my arms, something telling me she wouldn't receive sudden movements well. "It's me they're after."

I heard the sound of rocks shifting and I was surprised by the anger in her eyes, which were still shining brightly with tears. "So you're going to abandon me, just like that? I don't know how to start a fire, or find food and water. I can't even begin to think how I'll get home."

She reached into her purse, and dug out a small pink machine. "My phone is probably dead, and I know there's no way my paper money could survive that much saltwater."

"Look, I'm going back into hostile territory and the likelihood that an ordinary human could survive that is slim." I replied, trying to be patient. "I don't know if I'll come back alive, do you really want to trust those kind of odds?"

There was a long, awkward pause, and I could see she was deep in thought. Finally, she answered.

"I don't…know, but, well, there isn't much of a choice is there? Either I die here alone from starvation or the elements…assuming those people don't find me and then kill me…or I come with you and I die trying to get home?"

Shaking her head, I could see her confusion. "Man, it's like I'm living one of those foreign drama films. This is just too complicated for a simple woman like me…maybe if I flip a coin like they do in the movies, I'll feel satisfied with the outcome?"

I was skeptical. "You would really leave a decision like this up to a coin toss?"

Nodding with enthusiasm, she pulled a small coin out of her purse. "Here, I've got an old won coin! If it lands with the hibiscus flower face up, I'll come with you. If not, I'll stay here and I won't complain. But this is my lucky coin so that won't happen."

Under normal conditions, I wouldn't have agreed. She obviously had no idea what she was signing up for, and I didn't want to be responsible for leading her to her death. But…even if it wasn't the ideal solution, it was better than an argument. I wasn't sure she could have one without passing out. Her jacket and skirt were torn and soaked, and her hair was dripping. She was still shivering from the cold.

Sighing, I nodded my consent. "Alright, but make it quick, and you can't go back on the results."

Winding up like she was about to make a winning pitch, she tossed the coin up high and caught it smoothly on the way down, checking it before holding it out to me. A hibiscus flower.

"I win, guess we're stuck together." She laughed, waving her hands and accidentally dropping her coin. I watched her scramble to find it in the rocks with an uncomfortable feeling of dread. If she died, that would be more blood on my hands.

Finally, she sat up triumphantly with the coin. "There's a weird scratch on it now, but I'm glad I found it!"

Did she even have a chance at surviving this? I found myself suddenly annoyed at her.

"You need to take this more seriously if you're coming with me. We're going to be up against armed guards and more. I can't promise to protect you, just to try."

She seemed a little shaken up by his sudden change in mood. "Yes, I…I suppose you're right. I apologize."

Rising to her feet, she buckled and in that split second of panic I remembered she was hurt. I moved forward to grab her, but she stumbled back and regained her balance, giving me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I appreciate the concern, but I can get up myself. My ankle is much better now anyways!"

She straightened, then stood up on one leg and balanced on the other, giving me a bright smile. "See? All better now!"

"Just be careful."

"Yes, sir." She replied, bowing and then offering her hand. "My name is Su-Bin Tae, pleasure to meet you Mr. Cyborg."

I twitched, already bothered by the nickname, but I shook her hand anyways. "Just call me 004."

"Right, sorry! So, what's the plan?"

Using the blade in my hand, I took a minute to size up the plants blocking our way into the forest, and within seconds carved a decently-sized opening. "Ladies first?"

"…Thanks." Su-Bin said, with stiff politeness, as if unwilling to admit she was impressed.

"After you." I smiled only when she wasn't looking.

Within minutes I was far ahead of her anyways, slicing as clear a path as I could manage. It felt effortless with my improved night vision and strength, and I only stopped to give her time to catch up, wary of how light my body felt and how cleanly the blade cut. I had to wait for quite a while, but then Su-Bin appeared, leaning against a tree and panting with exertion.

She was going to make it difficult to keep up a fast pace, that much I knew, and losing her would be painfully easy…but doing it on purpose didn't feel right to me. Even if it took me longer, I would have to slow down. She would be virtually defenseless if I didn't keep a close watch on her.

Suddenly, the dark forest seemed to melt around me into blobs of blue and purple that seemed to bleed into each other. They surrounded a bright haze of red and yellow I recognized with horror as Su-Bin. My senses seemed focused on her, I could hear every breath she made. The sound of her blood flowing and heart beating. Her feet shifting, the crunch of dried twigs.

Two bright circles surrounded her, and suddenly calculations started running past the edge of my vision. Her estimated maximum running speed, the exact time it had taken her to walk from the beach, a long list of potential weakness and suggested methods to terminate. I closed my eyes, not even daring to breathe.

"Are you okay?"

"It's nothing." I said, a little sharper than I intended. When I opened my eyes again, the circles were still there, but the text and colour coded heat patterns were gone. I had the feeling I could call them up at any time if I wanted, and somehow I could still sense her body heat.

They had installed a targeting system in me.

Even though my body felt fine, there was no physical reaction at this thought, I was sickened by it. What else had they done trying to 'perfect' me into the ultimate weapon? I had a feeling I would find out sooner rather than later.

She scoffed, and I tried to keep a blank expression, even if I knew she could barely see it. "These bugs are awful! How can you stand them?"

"Artificial skin. To them, I'm just a walking chunk of synthetic plastic and metal. Not very appealing." I tried to breathe slowly, naturally. I couldn't let her see how frightened I was.

She looked at me with curiosity. "That's right, you're a cyborg, aren't you? I'm sorry, I forgot. You just seem so normal."

I raised my right hand as an answer, the metal gleaming even in the moonlight. She smiled apologetically.

"Well, I mean, besides the obvious. When you were being controlled, it was like watching a machine or a hit man or something. But now you're just normal, just another person."

I didn't know how to reply to that, and thankfully, I didn't need to. I could sense something coming closer, moving at rapid speed, and the heat signature felt strange. There was the unmistakable temperature of a living creature, but I could feel the heat from machinery mixed together with it, as if melded into a single entity. I quickly moved next to Su-Bin, lifting my right hand and aiming it in the direction of the heat signature. I could see my targeting system split focus between the human next to me and the approaching threat. Within moments, I knew I would have a clean shot and an estimatation of what I was up against.

"Is something coming?" Su-Bin's voice wavered, and I could feel her heat signature quickly change to a confused swirl of red-hot fear.

"Yes, don't move." Even with an obvious threat, it seemed like my targeting system was only able to suggest options instead of forcing me to use them, but I didn't want to take any chances.

I could feel it drawing closer, and tensed, right until the moment it passed us by without a sound. Wherever it was going, there was a good chance it might lead us straight to Black Ghost, and I immediately starting hacking through the undergrowth at a fast run, hoping there was still time to catch it.

"That could be our only lead! Keep up!"

I heard muttered curses and a whack that sounded like a branch hitting something, followed by a frustrated yell of "I'm trying!"

There was a clearing ahead, and as I sliced through the last remaining branch I stopped. In front of me was the Dolphin, rusted and barely recognizable past the huge hole ripped into the hull. Su-Bin ran straight into me with a startled cry, but I barely noticed, memories coming back to me at an alarming speed.

"What's the matter?" She said, her words muffled as she massaged her nose. Peering over my shoulder, Su-Bin gasped, walking around me to touch the corroded metal.

"What is this doing here?"

"It's the ship I came here in, with the other cyborgs."

She quickly turned to look at me with an expression of sympathy. I crossed my arms, feeling a surprisingly sense of calm detachment as I surveyed the wreckage of the Dolphin.

"The mission wasn't supposed to end this way. We'd already defeated the Black Ghost, this was just a routine check. We had to wipe every last one of their hideouts from the face of the earth, in the hope that they couldn't recover."

"Then what happened?" Su-Bin whispered, but I was just starting to remember the past.

I could still here 007 reciting a humorous passage from The Tempest…003's laughter, strained but still cheerful despite everything that had happened…006 excitedly discussing plans for dinner with 008 and 005, who politely humored him with conversation…Professor Gilmore whispering something to 001 as we landed…

A noise more painful than anything I'd ever heard before. Fire followed by darkness, brief flashes of memories filled with light and colour that refused to coalesce into something that made sense. A series of tests with frightened humans and near deaths. That look of absolute terror mirrored on so many different faces, and the screams that sent chills up my spine.

I had to sit down, shaking as I remembered that unnatural compulsion to carry out my orders, even as I tried to fight for control. How many deep wounds I'd left, in some cases barely avoiding important arteries and organs. How close I'd come to killing them.

"They must have captured us…"

Gritting my teeth, I curled my metal hand into a fist and punched the hull. The loud ringing sound from the strike hurt my ears, but I felt an odd sense of satisfaction when I pulled away and saw a large depression in the steel.

Leaning against the Dolphin, I looked up at the sky, feeling suddenly tired. A deep, emotionally draining exhaustion. Something that went beyond my limitless body but felt very human. I smiled bitterly. Were there even human parts still left in me?

Looking back at the dent, I wondered how much time had passed since we'd first arrived. If it turned out the others weren't even alive, why was I still fighting?

"What year is it?" I asked wearily.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Su-Bin lean over to better see me. "2015."

"It's been fourteen years…" What were the chances the others had escaped or still alive after fourteen years?

"That long? I was eleven years old the last time you were active." Su-Bin said in amazement.

"I was in cryogenic stasis for thirty-seven years before that." Her jaw dropped, and I managed a tired smile.

"You're from the early sixties?! But you're-"

"Thirty years old."

"Can you even still age?"

"I don't know. Probably not." I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was going.

Thankfully, the feeling seemed to be mutual, as Su-Bin awkwardly changed the subject. "Should we move on, or do you want some time alone with your thoughts?"

I already knew the answer. "I just need something from inside the Dolphin."

Pausing, I remembered the strange heat signature from earlier. "You might want to follow me."

"Okay then," Su-Bin responded nervously, "Then maybe I'll let you go first?"

Despite the grimness of the situation, I smiled and nodded.

Inside, the Dolphin looked even worse than I had expected. What wasn't swallowed under the dust was covered in cobwebs, and as I started forward into the hull, I heard the floor groan beneath me. I took another step forward, testing it. Silence. That was a relief.

There was another creak behind me, and glanced back to see Su-Bin cautiously following my lead. She picked her way through the wreckage as if she expected it to attack her. I could only think that it was a good thing we didn't have far to go.

Stopping in front of a dilapidated wall, I pulled out a drawer. Ignoring the cloud of dust that filled the air, I reached in and pulled out the false bottom, revealing a small chain and ring that I grabbed immediately. Even in near darkness, the ring still shone brightly. I felt strangely peaceful holding it, even after so much time had passed.

Part of me had wanted to bring it with me after the crash, but wearing it had stopped feeling necessary after Black Ghost's final defeat. I didn't have anything to remember any of the other people I'd lost, I needed to protect what I had left, or so I recalled thinking. Putting it on felt strange…but reassuring.

"Hey, umm…it looks like…somebody's been here recently."

Su-Bin was pointing at the floor, and even from a distance away I could see a footprint barely outlined in the dirt. The print looked distinct, but recognizable. Glancing down, I moved and saw the same print underneath my own boot. Examining both of them, I noticed one difference. The older print had been made from a narrower boot.

"It's standard manufacture for Black Ghost soldiers. Probably a patrol." I said, trying to fight a newfound feeling of hope. "There's no way of telling how recent it is, we should get moving."

Looking up, I froze when I saw Su-Bin's terrified expression, following the arm around her neck to the cold eyes glaring from the woman next to her. How had she managed to avoid my targeting system or set off any of my other senses? There was a mistrustful look in the woman's eyes, as if she was assessing any and all threats I could possibly pose.

"You're the rogue cyborg, aren't you?"

I could hear a faint accent in her voice. The bizarre question seemed out of place, and I responded with care. "Let her go first, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

She nodded curtly, removing her hands and raising them as she backed away. Su-Bin darted over to my side, picking up a piece of rebar and glaring at the woman, who was regarding us with a serious expression on her face.

"No attempt at lying, and I didn't have to shove the little miss to the side to avoid gunfire. I guess that's useful information. If you're one of Black Ghost's operatives, you're not as stupid as the usual idiots."

She crossed her arms and gave us a searching look. "If you want a place to stay the night, come with me, or at least allow the little miss back for a change of clothes. You're not under surveillance and I'm not interested in reporting you. Home's this way."

Without any ceremony, she ducked through the gap in the hull. The surprised silence was only broken by the sound of her fading footsteps.

"Should we follow her?"

My eyes narrowed, and I looked over at Su-Bin. She was still shivering; I had completely forgotten that she was still soaked from the dive we'd taken into the ocean earlier. I didn't feel the need for sleep, or food, or any other basic necessity, but I knew she would. Depending on the situation, this could even be an opportunity to help her leave…without taking her on the suicide mission into the heart of Black Ghost's major base. The risk was high but the choice seemed obvious.

Without a word, I ducked through only to see the woman facing me from a distance, expressionless but calm. Almost as if she'd been waiting for us. Catching my eye, she turned and headed for a surprisingly clear path through the forest. The machete strapped to her back was well-worn, and I wondered what her purpose in being here was. Finding a local this far into the wilderness seemed strange, but if she was allied with Black Ghost, I couldn't disregard anything.

She gave me a pointed look. "Your names are?"

"Su-Bin Tae and 004." I replied, bowing hesitantly. "Yours?"

"Yindi Kneebone." She paused, as if weighing the dangers of saying more. "I'm the Lower East Side Watchmen, with three sectors under my jurisdiction. I don't know what you've been told, but you're currently in Sector 9 of Bi-myeong Island, North Korea."

Notes:

 _Won_ = a type of coin used in South Korea. The one won coin mentioned here (first released in 1983, not the earlier 1968-1992 issue) is apparently harder to find in circulation nowadays, and as of this writing, ten won coins are worth about one penny in American currency. Look at me being the Canadian who assumes mostly Americans will read this, ha.


	3. Promise

_Author's Note:_ Oh gosh, I'm late with this one! Sorry folks, I don't even have a good excuse, except that this was probably the most difficult chapter to write/edit in terms of research. I'm still not satisfied with it either. Ah well, at least it's here – please let me know what you think!

Also, there's an annual citywide water gun fight in Seoul every summer. Just keep that in mind as you read. :)

 _ **The Mechanism of War**_

 **Chapter Three: Promise**

The walk through the jungle was silent after that. There was nothing else that I could say, and 004 seemed calm as usual. Comfortable, even, with the petrifying truth. I could only guess what this newfound knowledge could mean to him. I knew what it meant to me.

Fear, the most all-consuming fear anyone could possibly experience. It clouded my thoughts so completely that I jumped at every snapping twig and every distant bird cry. Inside I was panicking, and I wanted to scream in sheer terror at the idea that I was walking closer to my death.

And how I could imagine my own death, playing out over and over again in various horrific ways. Execution at the hands of the government. Starvation in a concentration camp. Being shot attempting to cross the border, both by land and by sea. Returning home, only to open my door months later to North Korean soldiers sent to abduct and silence me. My grandfather's stories about his escape across the demilitarized zone seemed laughably impossible for me to duplicate.

I was not a hero, I couldn't pull off the improbable. I was only human, and I was just trying to get home.

Could 004 understand that, I wondered, as the reality of my situation finally dawned on me. But my next thought was even more startling. With the odds stacked so incredibly against my favour, could I trust him? Two people against an evil organization seemed so ridiculous that it hardly felt worth worrying about. Our path was clear: we either survived and escaped or died trying. But if we were truly in North Korea, our chance of succeeding was probably slim to none.

He wouldn't being able to protect me, that much I knew. But if he was faced with the opportunity of selling my freedom in exchange for his own, or his cyborg friends, would he take it? I didn't know him, I couldn't vouch for his character. He was almost a complete stranger to me, and I hadn't even known the real him for the majority of the time we'd spent together. He seemed much more composed then most people would be in this type of situation, unruffled about things that seemed shocking and dangerous to me. Did anything bother him?

I felt ashamed and grateful he didn't know what I was thinking. Catching his eye for a moment, I had the sense he knew anyways.

Looking ahead at the woman who called herself Yindi, I was suddenly aware of how much more of an enigma she was then 004 at the moment. An ally of Black Ghost who had invited us into her home, but projected the same kind of distrust towards us that she had to know we shared mutually towards her. What possible reason could she have for helping us? I didn't see her as the kind of person to wait long to tell us, but thinking about what kind of trap we were walking into was too exhausting.

"Don't look so grim." Yindi called back, startling me. "You have nothing to worry about. I've personally destroyed every single one of Black Ghost's surveillance cameras, and after an angry visit or two, we came to an agreement. I check every few days, but we're the only ones here for five miles. You're as safe as anyone could be in this godforsaken place."

I felt awkward being caught staring, but Yindi didn't seemed bothered, so I didn't reply. Despite the dark, I soon noticed a tiled roof glowing in the light of the full moon, and almost burst into tears at the traditional Korean house that emerged as we got closer. Seeing a well-kept _hanok_ was the most comfortingly familiar sight I could hope for, reminding me of my history classes in high school. Something about the well-maintained gate and polished tiling gave me a sense of peace.

"This is my home. You are free to go wherever you choose, and you may leave at any time. However, I will let you know now that my hospitality only extends for tonight."

Yindi spoke slowly, as if wanting to make sure we didn't miss a single word, and I wondered if the inflection in her voice was British or some strange American accent I'd never of heard before. She gestured for us to follow her, and we did, through a small but immaculately neat garden and then into a bare courtyard. I stopped on the veranda to take off my shoes, but with a disapproving click of her tongue, I realized that Yindi wanted me to keep up. I was bewildered, but obediently stood up and continued walking, shuddering slightly at what my mother would say about tracking dirt into a house.

Venturing inside, Yindi vanished into the darkness. I heard the strike of a match, and then the room was suddenly lit by a lamp on a table in the middle of the room. Behind that lamp was our host, patiently watching us as we seated ourselves. Seeing her for the first time in decent light, I realized from her dark skin that she might also be a foreigner. At the very least, it was plain from her defined muscles that she was used to a different lifestyle then the one I was familiar with.

After so many years spent living in Itaewon, the most diverse neighbourhood in Seoul, the idea of being introduced to more foreigners in one night then I had during my entire lifetime (outside of work, of course) seemed very humorous to me. Work had taken up all the free time I used to have to socialize, and being thrown into a situation that wasn't dictated by business or professionalism, I felt off-balance. I prayed that I wouldn't commit any significant cultural blunders.

Skittish but not wanting to appear rude, I sat down at a seat at the table, joined by 004. We both waited patiently for her to speak, as I noticed something bizarre. There were two beds on either side of the room, four altogether.

Finally, Yindi spoke. "I apologize for the informal setup, I do things differently here and I'm not used to guests. This manor was not my first choice, but it seemed a shame to let it rot."

Informal indeed, I reflected, if this was the outer wing of the house. Of course, sticking with tradition also included separating the men and women to opposite sides of the building. That would mean being far away from 004 and being vulnerable to attack. I nodded, then immediately I flinched as I realized she was probably implying 004 and I were going to be sharing a room. After three years of marriage, Myung-Hwan would probably not think any worse of me (perhaps even laugh at the strange circumstances that had led to this scenario), but that only made me feel homesick. At the thought of what my father might say if he knew, I decided some things I was just better off not worrying about.

"There's a bath down the hall. I'll bring you some spare clothes before I start dinner." I blinked, suddenly realizing Yindi was addressing me. She stood up, and to my surprise, offered one last parting comment to 004.

"You won't be able to protect her alone, you know that?" She glanced at me, giving me a curt nod I couldn't even begin to interpret the meaning of, and then left.

"Well that was strange." 004 said, unknowingly echoing my sentiments. I decided to study him too in the better light, finding myself completely confused by his laid-back body language. After the incident near the downed airplane, it was hard to reconcile the bitter, tense man that had practically barked orders at me with this person.

Anxious and frazzled, I saw my knuckles were beginning to turn white from gripping my hands together for so long. A nervous habit I usually found myself doing near deadlines, which seemed laughably less stressful from where I was sitting. But 004's mood seemed contagious, and I took a deep breath to compose myself further. He must be used to this, I realized. No normal human being could hold themselves together in a crisis this well without lots of experience.

How many people has he killed, I wondered. How much of him was still human, and how long would he stay that way? What would happen if his programming suddenly reasserted itself, but with Black Ghost in control?

"I'm leaving, I'll be back shortly." I said, my heart pounding furiously with fright as I stood up and left. The room seemed suffocating, and I needed to get out and just…think, walk, do anything but stay in a room next to him.

004 didn't say a word, and as I scrambled to close the door, I wondered if he'd even heard me.

I forced myself to breathe deeply, relieved when the panic from before dissipated almost instantly, and wandered down the hall until I found the bath. It was just as old-fashioned as the rest of the house, but there were no buckets and no stool. A modern shower nozzle had been installed above the bath along with shower curtains, and I glared at them. There went my chance to enjoy the full traditional experience, I thought in disappointment.

Toiletries were lined up nearby, and I caught sight of two bottles labeled 'Shampoo (Regular - Afro-textured hair)' and 'Shampoo (Guest)'. I grabbed the second bottle, picked up the soap and tried to settle into a relaxing shower, contemplating the fact that Yindi didn't get many guests but apparently kept an entirely different shampoo around for them.

When I was done, I suddenly noticed a set of clothes folded up neatly in front of the door. Jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a dark green jacket…even a pair of running shoes. They looked much more practical then the pink jacket and skirt I'd been wearing before, but I felt uncomfortable wearing them. It seemed wrong to dress casually if I was heading off to risk my life.

"I'm back." I announced without much fanfare, sitting back down without looking at him. Again no response, and I felt the nerves from before creeping up on me again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head, trying not to think that way. Maybe he was being polite?

"Maybe you should wait here. It would be less dangerous, and if I survive I will come back and send you home."

For the first time since entering the room I suddenly became aware of the expression on his face. 004 appeared tense, and every word that left his mouth sound physically painful. It took me a moment to place the look on his face. Haunted. Was he reliving the last time he attempted to attack the base?

"Yes, that might be for the best," I heard myself say. But deep down, I wondered. Although he was more experienced, a part of me felt uncomfortable with leaving my future completely in the hands of a stranger. From a purely selfish perspective, if he failed, what would happen to me? Alone on an island where no one else could save me in a country that would actively try to kill me? I needed his help.

Was it even fair to leave all of that responsibility on him?

He was strong, that much I could tell, but even the human spirit could only take so much. In the dim candlelight, he looked much older, but was he even much older than me? What did he have to live for now that he was separated from the people who could understand him? It was not my place to say anything, it was his choice to make, but I didn't want to carry the guilt if he died alone.

"Still…I'm sorry…I…"

He looked at me, and despite the frown that seemed permanently fixed on his face, I could tell he was genuinely listening to me. That was what gave me the courage to finish. My grandfather had always encouraged me to speak my mind in situations where lives were at stake, and I considered that maybe his journey to freedom didn't seem so far away from mine.

"I might be of help if I come along?"

Pulling out my phone, my chains made a soft clinking noise as I set it down on the table. It seemed very out of place against the polished wood, but I persevered, sensing that I would need to explain myself very carefully. "This machine is a phone, I'm sure you remember me saying that…but it can do so much more than simply call people. I work with electronics, they're everything I've ever known. If Black Ghost has the latest technology, I can be useful. Do you know that Kim Jong-un rules North Korea now? I'm not an expert on current affairs, but I know enough to tell you what will get us killed here and what will save us."

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "You can't defend yourself in a fight."

"If you help me, I will help you, simple as that." I pleaded. "If Black Ghost is as advanced as everyone keeps saying it is, it will have computers, and the information on those computers will give us an advantage. I was originally hired by my company because I was taught how these systems work. I might even be able to completely cripple them, depending on how good their security is."

The frown deepened. "You have limitations, please remember that you're only human."

"And you aren't?"

When he didn't answer, I found myself confused by the look he was giving me. It must be patronizing, I finally decided in anger and a small amount of fear. Did he think he was better than me just because he was part machine?

He didn't sound condescending, but I was still shaking with fury. "If you die, you'll never see your home or your husband again. Do you really want to take that chance when there's a much better option right in front of you?"

I felt nervous, but I knew I had to persist. "Yindi didn't want us to stay, and a place I may or may not be able to hide in is safer than outpost where Black Ghost troops regularly pass through."

The door outside slid open, and both of us quieted immediately. Yindi emerged, effortlessly carrying a large tray of food in one hand, which she set on the table gently. My stomach growled at the thought of eating, and at the sight of fresh kimchi and steaming jjigae I felt my mouth start to water.

But something seemed strange to me, and the more I looked at my dinner the more I started to wonder how it had come to be. I could understand the inclusion of kongnamul, a standard dish grandfather had told me he had eaten almost exclusively during times of famine…but sogalbi seemed too opulent. How could a country barely capable of feeding itself produce beef in enough quantities to sell to foreigners?

"Most of this has been shipped in from South Korea." Yindi explained, apparently noticing my confusion. "The ports of Incheon are apparently easy to bribe and good at keeping secrets. The occasional freighter across the Yellow Sea never seems to come to light in the media either, at least, not over the radio waves."

My country was responsible for aiding my kidnappers? I bit my lip, trying to resist my natural impulse to deny that horrible accusation. Staring at the assortment of food before me, I found myself wishing I was starving instead.

A set of metal chopsticks, a plate and a bowl were placed in front of me. I looked up to see Yindi's expectant expression. "I'll make you an offer. You tell me your story, and I will tell you what you need to know to get on that freighter. On this island, information is valuable. It means the difference between life and death."

I glanced at 004 and he nodded, taking the opportunity to speak up. "Black Ghost was conducting a routine test involving both of us. I resisted, and we escaped with the aid of one of their scientists."

Yindi's eyes narrowed, and I could see she was displeased with the amount of detail left out. "What test were they running, who was the scientist and how did you manage to leave?"

"They were using some kind of mind control on him so he would kill me. Eva Messerschmitt helped us, but we were separated in the aircraft hanger and 004 and I…tried to climb down." I said, mildly embarrassed

She covered her eyes, and I could clearly see her exasperation. She seemed to change gears quickly, readjusting her hand to prop up her chin and giving me a blank look. "And how did you restore 004?"

I caught 004's glance, and I was unsurprised when he once again joined the conversation. "She didn't, when we hit the water I was in control of myself again."

The effect this news had on Yindi was staggering. Her eyes widened and she sat up straight immediately, an alertness to her body that made me feel on edge. "That can't be possible. I've seen Dr. Messerschmitt's work. She's been with the organization for at least a decade. Her robots never malfunction and her projects never stall. Black Ghost does not have a forgiving nature when it comes to mistakes these days, especially since the zero-zero cyborgs nearly defeated them."

I looked between Yindi and 004, suddenly cold. It felt like there was so much I didn't know. "Then…what could that mean? Eva implyied she had expected him to kill me during the test."

"Her luck might have been running out." 004 had never appeared grimmer, and I wondered if even he believed his suggestion.

Cocking her head, Yindi didn't look convinced. "It's more likely something about your outdated machinery. When I heard about your restoration, I wasn't the only one that thought she couldn't do it. Augmented Horizons, her invention that harnesses the faculties of the brain without the inference of free will, was too advanced for your machine class. Furthermore, Dr. Gilmore erased all traces of your design from the records; she was working in the dark."

From his expression, I knew he was years back in the past. "What happened to everyone?"

"I don't know, that's too highly classified for my position." Yindi looked genuinely regretful. "Black Ghost celebrated your defeat openly, but the specifics were always lost on most of us. If they hadn't promoted your restoration as an 'example' of their current invincibility, that would probably be restricted information as well. I do know you were both a passion project and a promotion for Dr. Messerschmitt. She always had a fascination for Black Ghost's older models, and she was obsessed with the idea of exploiting the human traits that had made the zero-zero cyborgs such successful adversaries."

"How would you recommend we escape?" I asked, captivated by the story I was beginning to put the pieces together for, but very eager to speed up the process of getting home. We'd almost completely forgotten the dinner in front of us.

Yindi didn't seem like she wanted to switch topics, but relented. "There's a trail that leads to the village of Gawi that will take you roughly a day to walk. From there you can follow the main road to Central Command for two days more."

I winced. "Isn't there a faster way?"

She smiled, and the gentleness behind it was both startling but comforting. "There is, but it may make your assault on Central more difficult."

004 raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"Reporting you." She replied simply, picked up her chopsticks and started to eat. I could feel my mouth open wordlessly, and then close. Was she insane? Judging by the look on 004's face, however, he was seriously considering it.

"If it helps, I would strongly recommend the faster option." noticed that she seemed suddenly pensive, gazing off into the dark forest. "Black Ghost has chosen this island for strategic reasons. I'm telling you in confidence that North Korea lacks the firepower to assert authority over the south, and they're relying on Black Ghost to start a war, sooner rather than later. If they have the resources to test a luxury such as a zero-zero cyborg by now…"

"They've already finished testing everything else." I finished, not even registering that I had dropped my chopsticks on the table. Picking them up, I felt cold fear washing over me, wondering with sickly anticipation how close the reality of war was.

"You should eat." Yindi said, but her words seemed distant and unimportant. I forced myself to look up at her anyways. "It's late."

"But why haven't you already reported us? Why are you helping us?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm and hide the anxiety in my voice.

"I don't want to get promoted away from my peace and quiet, and I don't like my superiors." Yindi answered simply, putting a cup in front of me and pouring tea. "I came here for a chance to get away from people, and my job is to report suspicious intrusions. I'm not interested in killing anyone for my livelihood."

Forcing myself to pay attention instead of focusing on the fact that Yindi had just completely broken traditional tea etiquette, I saw her look down at her own cup. There was something in those dark eyes, something painful and heavy and very much like fear. I wondered if it was a trick of the light. Yindi did not seem the fearful type, but the more I thought about it, it was hard to understand what kind of person she really was to begin with.

"Not now, at least." 004 said bitterly. "Give it time."

Eventually, she shrugged. "I didn't have a very good life back in my country, this seemed like the next best option. They gave me this house, food…everything I could need."

"Is it worth sending people to their deaths, even if you don't pull the trigger?"

I glanced at 004 in shock. For someone who had seemed like such a level-headed person, I could see his anger plainly. Why was he deliberately baiting someone who could probably alert the entire island of our plans? Although, I cringed when I realized that Yindi's job indirectly condemned a lot of other people to their deaths.

They watched each other for a moment, before Yindi gave him a grin that didn't reach her eyes. "I think you should both get some rest. I'll leave you for the night. Sleep well."

With that, she set down her chopsticks, stood up and left the room.

"You shouldn't antagonize her like that." I said quietly, once I was sure she was far enough away.

"Just because she's helping us, doesn't mean she won't drop us the second we're a hindrance." 004 replied, crossing his arms. "She's aware of what Black Ghost does, and she stills support them. How many people have died because of her?"

I didn't know what to say to that, and we ate in silence for a while as I thought it over. Of course 004 would be critical of her; considering his experiences, it was unreasonable to expect him to give her the benefit of the doubt. Frankly, despite her uncommon kindness towards us, I knew we couldn't trust her. Whatever her reasons were, at the end of the day she was still associated with the organization that had kidnapped and intended to kill countless people.

I heard the occasional tap of a raindrop on the roof, which changed to a smattering of louder taps as the rain strengthened. The normalcy of the sound grounded me, made it easier to think without panicking at the thought of what the morning would bring. But the charged atmosphere felt uncomfortable, and knowing that this might only be the beginning of a long, drawn out battle for our freedom made it all that much harder to live with.

Glancing at 004, who was looking at his food without a single hint of emotion on his face, I felt empty. I wasn't naïve, I knew the kind of terrible situation I was in. There was very little left for me to hope for. But my soul seemed to ache at the feeling of hopelessness that surrounded our future. Even the small victories, like finding food and shelter for the night, would be pointless if we died tomorrow. It was almost too much to bear alone.

Setting my plate and chopsticks down, I was unsatisfied despite how good it had felt to finally eat. I took a deep breath, the cold, misty air drifting in from outside sticking in my throat. A good conversation would do us both some good. If we were going to work as a team, we needed to understand where the other person was coming from…a tall order to accomplish in one night, but it was better than nothing.

"My husband, Myung-Hwan Moon…he loves the rain. He would be happy on a night like this."

I paused, waiting for a reaction that never came. But since 004 didn't tell me to stop, I decided it was alright to keep talking.

"He always says that when the rain ends, all the sorrows of the world are washed away so the sun can shine again. That every time it rains, it's a time to reflect, but afterwards you have to put those thoughts away and face the world with a smile. People are not supposed to be sad all the time, he says. I think it's silly, but it sounds pleasing. When money was tight and our dreams seemed too distant to ever reach, the rain would start and he would always say 'You can cry now, no one will hear your tears'."

I picked up my cup, turning away briefly to drink and setting it down. "We did cry many times during the rain, but having someone to cry with made it easier to be happy when it stopped. I miss him."

"He sounds like a good person."

I nodded eagerly, happy to have spurred him into joining my conversation, especially considering the emotional nature of the topic I'd picked. "He is."

Looking out at the rain made me miss my home back in Seoul. My friends, my neighbours, my grandfather, my co-workers…all of the people I cared about were probably asleep right now, completely unaware of what was happening to me. Even my husband probably thought I'd stayed over at someone's house…but I had no way of telling how much time had passed since our last phone call. I tried to focus on more pleasant thoughts, like the summer parades I wanted to see, or silly ice cream runs with friends.

"What will you do after this is all over?" It didn't take me long to realize that was probably the wrong question to ask. "I…mean…"

"I don't know." I heard him get up, and glanced over to see him sit against the wall on the opposite side of the room. For a moment I thought that was the end, but when he kept going I found myself listening with rapt attention.

"It's been a long time since I've thought about my future."

His words were nearly lost in the roar of the increasing rain. I could hear it pounding on the roof, becoming more intense with each passing second, and had an epiphany. The rain was bothering him somehow, that could at least account for some of his behaviour. Was he being withdrawn naturally, or was he overwhelmed with his newfound independence? I wondered if it was a little bit of both.

Standing up, I carefully sat down against the wall as well, maintaining a small but comfortable distance. It didn't feel like an intrusion, and he certainly didn't react like it was. I sighed, leaning back with a thud. Everything felt so uncertain these days, and peaceful moment like this would only last so long. Would I ever get back to my old life?

"I wanted to work as hard as I could and build up a career, until I was blessed with my first child. I wanted a family so badly." I said, half talking to myself. Stretching my legs out, I looked at my bruised ankle. It didn't hurt anymore, but it certainly wasn't healed. "This is a pretty serious situation, isn't it?"

"Nothing we can't get out of."

At this up until now unheard of burst of positivity, I saw a faint smile appear on his face. I smiled myself, comforted by his words, however little we both knew there was to back them up. But it made me feel like everything would turn out okay in the end.

Right then, I knew we understood each other and what we had to accomplish. It was a little overwhelming. Could I trust him? I suppose I had to, that was really all there was to it. "Find me a computer, and that's a promise."

"Do you even know the basics of hand to hand combat?" He asked, sounding amused. "Because that computer will probably be guarded."

"I'm very good with water guns." I replied modestly, proud of myself when he laughed a little.

"We have nothing to worry about then."

Still smiling despite the knot in my stomach, I relaxed and tried not to think of wars and getting home. I was so very tired…

"We can get through this together," I heard him say softly, "Just be careful and stay alert."

"Thank you." I whispered, feeling tears beginning to form at the corner of my eyes. My throat was tight. "I don't want to die…"

My exhaustion started to set in, and my eyelids drifted shut. The noise of the rain started to fade away.

"You won't. You're stronger than you think."

Startling myself awake, I realized I was staring out the open door into a bright blue sky and forest with a very painful crick in my neck. I took a quick glance to my right, and seeing that 004 was missing was all it took for me to stumble to my feet and out the doorway in a panic.

"So, you're finally up." Yindi said with amusement, as 004 stood by with the same unreadable expression as always. He had his arms crossed again, a habit I had quickly learned meant he was thinking something over. I slumped against the doorframe in relief. They hadn't left without me.

"What's the plan?" I asked reluctantly, feeling sick to my stomach with fear. I put on my shoes slowly, conscious of the fact that in a short while, we would be at the mercy of Black Ghost again.

To my surprise, Yindi gave me a sympathetic look, nodding and beckoning me closer. Standing next to 004, I tried to focus on what she was saying and ignore the sense of foreboding I felt. No matter what plan we came up with, something was bound to go wrong.

"After I send the report, I'm giving you ten minutes to get as far away from here as possible. Black Ghost's foot soldiers are very destructive, and I'd prefer not to have to repair anything just because my house happens to be in the way." Here, she glanced at 004. "Please, don't put up any resistance. They'll be especially trigger-happy when they realize they've cornered a zero-zero cyborg, and they might choose to treat Su-Bin as leverage."

That wasn't a pleasant thought, but when Yindi paused I waved her on impatiently. My pride aside, it was the truth, and I knew I had to be prepared to be used as collateral.

"They should take you to headquarters immediately, but expect complications once you get there. I don't know what kind of precautions they'll put in place, but they won't be taking any chances." Yindi could not have sounded more serious, and I felt dizzy with anxiety.

Suddenly aware of Yindi's discerning gaze, I tried and failed to look her in the eye, nervously scuffing the ground with my new sneakers. "Now, little miss, I have something I wish to discuss with you, privately. Please follow me."

Checking with 004 first, I relaxed when I saw he didn't appear suspicious or confused. If this was something serious, Yindi had obviously cleared it with him ahead of time. I still felt anxious, and when she motioned for me to come closer I very quietly moved to stand next to her. There was just something about being on the brink of a perilous situation that destroyed my usual outgoing social butterfly personality.

Yindi, for her part, was completely unaffected by my apprehension. She pulled a water bottle out that I hadn't noticed before, and took a deep drink from it. There was a tired look to her eyes that seemed out of place, and I suddenly realized that Yindi had to be much older than me.

"I left Australia a year ago. When I first started out here, I had a partner named Estefania Cansino, and neither of us had a clue of what we were getting into. She told me she left Mexico because her husband had just died, and she taught me everything I know. Estefania was well-known in her field apparently, one of the most experienced security guards in the business, according to her records. But after refusing a bribe, her reputation was soured by rumors that she'd accepted."

I watched Yindi warily, wondering what the point behind this enigmatic story was. She appeared thoughtful, maybe even a little sad, and I tried to tell myself to be patient. She didn't seem the type of person to waste her words.

"I loved her so much." Her voice cracked, and I was startled by the tears in her eyes, watching helplessly as she looked up and bit her lip. Yindi looked down, wiping her tears away with her wrist, and although her face was blank I could still feel the pain radiating off her. "She was the only person I ever loved, really, and she died trying to save me. Because I was naïve and I relied on her too much to save me, and when a boat of soldiers tried to stage a coup against headquarters…"

She closed her eyes, her guilt plain to see. I had no idea how to react to this; should I try to comfort her? There was something bitter in the way she shook her head that only made me more confused.

"I went crazy trying to find out what they did with her after I brought her in for emergency care. I read everything I could, restricted or not, and found her records in the medical bay two months later. 'Subject deemed unfit for duty, terminated during experiment'."

Her voice rose sharply, and then she ceased speaking altogether. Eventually, she seemed to find the words to continue. "Ms. Tae, we don' t know each other well, but I want you to know that whatever you encounter at headquarters, your survival also depends on your strength, your smarts, and your resourcefulness. I know this is not the life you are used to leading, but you must not remain passive and accept your death easily."

As she told me all this, I could hear a pleading note in her voice, the look in her eyes startling and emotional. I had only a moment to absorb this before Yindi cupped the back of my head and inserted a small capsule underneath my tongue. Stepping back, she appeared...shy? My mind was reeling, trying to make sense of the topsy turvy turn the world had taken.

"This is a smoke bomb. When you're inside, pinch it and throw. It should give you time. Give the bastards hell for me."

Touched, I did my best to hold the capsule in place as I murmured my thanks, dazed and wondering at Yindi's motivation behind this sudden burst of generosity. Was this all because of Estefania? A part of me could see a frightened woman trying and barely able to survive in a jungle hiding countless adversaries, waiting for the day she could take revenge for her fallen comrade. I wondered if that was really the whole story, thinking of how Eva had also played the part of benefactor until she'd abandoned us.

However, maybe I was asking myself the wrong questions. Why had Eva helped them to begin with if she considered both of them ultimately disposable?

For her part, Yindi merely waved me back over to 004, pulling out a communicator of some sort. We both stood there for a few moments, and I waited for some kind of signal that I should start running, staring into the forest and grinding the heel of my sneakers into the dirt. Better traction that way, I thought. Any lead felt like a godsend.

"Now?" I glanced at 004 curiously, noting the frown that almost seemed permanently fixed onto his face. Did he wanted confirmation that I was also ready?

Swallowing nervously, I whispered, "now."

Like a shot I was gone, running into the forest and trying desperately not to get caught on any branches. 004 was beside me, somehow keeping pace despite the fact he must have been able to easily pass me by. I tried not to think about Seoul, or Black Ghost, or how they would capture us. When I heard the beating of helicopter blades, however, my blood turned to ice. There was no going back now.

There was a crash of breaking branches, and I stumbled as something hard and weathered clipped my arm. There was a snap from behind me, and over my shoulder I saw a tree collapse, staring in awe as it toppled into countless others before the cascade of branches stopped at my feet

The next minute, I was grabbed and wrestled to the ground. Cold steel bit into my skin and when something clicked into place, I realized I had been handcuffed. I heard a sharp cry in a voice I barely recognized as 004's, and my breath caught in my throat when he was abruptly silenced. Screaming in frustration, I fought to break free, completely forgetting Yindi's words at the thought that they might have killed him. A blow to the side of my face quickly ended my struggles, and the word blended into a roar of sound and sensations.

Amidst all the pointless laughter and jeers I knew my captors were making at my expense, 004 was dragged into view. His body was unnaturally still, and i could not tell if he was awake or even alive. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw a bolt of electricity snake around his arm, and an indescribable emotion seized me, anger that burned so strongly I wondered if it would consume me...and despair at the thought they might have killed my friend. How had they been so well-prepared?

He was quickly yanked from my view, and I felt tears gather in the corner of my eyes when I noticed it, small and glittering in the mud. Just a tiny flicker of gold that hadn't been there before. Straining my eyes, I realized it was a ring and chain, pounded into the muck and slowly vanishing into the thick dirty rainwater. I darted out to grab it, and a foot came down and crushed my hand into the mud. A woman with wide eyes and sunken cheekbones grinned down at me, reaching down to snatch my purse.

"Now, get up nice and slowly, girl. You mustn't leave your friend unattended."

I glared at her, knowing I had no choice but to do exactly as she said, but I felt my fingers curled around the ring and slipped it discreetly in the cuffs of my jeans. Who knew, maybe it could come I handy if we needed to bribe someone I thought, even as I was pushed and pulled into the back of a truck.

"Cell, coin purse, credit cards, makeup...there's nothing to interesting here, she's not a threat." A voice droned on as I was roughly tossed in. "Keep her as insurance, but give her the standard treatment."

I felt grasping hands work quickly to secure me in, looking up to see I had been placed next to a small hyperbolic chamber. Peering over the shoulder of the guard securing my arms above my head, my eyes widened when I saw 004's prone body resting peacefully, and as I watched I saw his chest gently rise and fall. I felt a flicker of hope; if he was breathing and they weren't leaving him, maybe there was a chance that whatever they had done hadn't affected him as much as a normal human.

"Well, 004, looks like we're in an even bigger mess now." I said quietly, maneuvering myself into a more comfortable position. At least my fingers were free, brushing against the clip on the back of my hair. "Do you still think we can make it out alive?"

Even though I hadn't expected an answer, the silence still made me wonder what new horrors awaited us at central. The worst was probably yet to come, and I remembered Estefania Cansino. Feeling my fingers catch on a hairpin, however, I suddenly realized my fate wasn't yet set in stone.

 _ **Notes:**_

 _Hanok_ = I already defined this, but this is a traditional Korean house. There are sub-types for the two different climates and seasons present in Korea, but the one thing the two main types are known for is the special floors that heat/cool certain parts of the house. After being rendered almost completely obsolete by newer, more space efficient planning, the _hanok_ is starting to make a comeback in Korean housing in terms of interior design for being environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing and functional in a very practical sense. The one in this story is supposed to be the 'L' shaped design seen in colder, more northern climates, and would have been owned by a wealthy family because it has a tiled roof and lots of extra space for a courtyard and garden and so forth.

 _South Korean cuisine (kimchi, jjigae, kongnamul, sogalbi, etc.)_ = I'm not defining the food of a country I've only spent the past year researching, because I know I'm going to explain it all wrong, but here's a basic overview. Korean meals are served as a variety of small dishes, and depending on where you live and how well you live, what you eat can be quite different. _Kimchi_ is a national staple present at most meals and made from certain fermented vegetables; _jjigae_ is a wider category of stews made from meat, seafood or vegetables; _kongnamul_ is seasoned soybean sprouts, fairly cheap and easy to make in comparison to the other three dishes; _sogalbi_ is a variant term for _galbi_ (grilled dishes made with marinated ribs, in this case beef, in a particular sauce). Again, really not an expert on this one, you'll have to research it yourself if you're curious.

 _Itaewon_ = Roughly speaking, a trendy neighbourhood (really more of a district) in Seoul with a reputation for welcoming foreigners and freethinkers. I'm trying to think of an American equivalent (even though…I'm Canadian…), but it has a very unique character and I think a comparison would fall flat.

 _Incheon_ = Mostly known for its explosive growth from a small city into the third most populated area in South Korea, _Incheon_ has a lot of history and economic power behind it. Like Seoul, it's very close to the top of South Korea, but unlike Seoul, it has a well-used sea port that receives a lot of international travel. There are a whole host of islands near the border of North Korea that regularly receive goods and travelers from _Incheon_ , many of which are popular tourist destinations.


	4. Biomechanical

_Author's Note:_ This was incredibly difficult for me to write! After my cat died a few weeks ago, almost exactly a year after my grandfather's death, this chapter was just really heart-wretching for me. I really have no excuse otherwise. Have fun finding the typos in here since I wrote it on the fly :V

I have a short bonus chapter I'd like to post up, and maybe even write a sequel or continuation, but I'll wait and see if anyone's interested. I have a lot of other stuff planned for the future, and I need to get working on for now!

 _ **The Mechanism of War**_

 **Chapter Four: Biomechanical**

I woke up behind a panel of glass, staring at the dingy steel across from me. My line of sight was free from scrolling lines of text and targeting features, and I could feel pain threatening to cloud my remaining senses. I could feel that we were moving, but I was so tightly wedged in that movement was impossible. How would I find a way out before we reached our destination?

There was a click, which sounded unnatural in the soundproof container I was in. I tensed, instantly alert. There was a noise like shifting gears, and suddenly the capsule opened, revealing a grinning Su-Bin looking down at me.

"My husband taught me how to pick locks." She said, as way of explanation. "I had to learn since I kept losing my keys. He always said it was the only useful thing his family taught him."

Su-Bin continued fiddling with my restraints, until they popped open with a soft hiss.

I grinned back, massaging my wrists out of habit and sitting up. "Lucky for me that they put us together, otherwise I might have been stuck there for a while."

"You're welcome." She said, sounding very pleased with herself. "Are you alright? I mean, you look fine but...it looked like they gave you a pretty powerful electric shock earlier."

I grimaced, remembering how my nerves had felt like they were on fire. But stepping out of the pod, my body felt recharged, and only a little sore. I could feel the thrum of the engine through the floors beneath us, so my nervous system couldn't be too damaged. Had the containment healed me somehow? Why would they help me recover if they thought I was dangerous?

"I think I'll be fine." I replied, smiling a little when the worry on her face eased. Even though I felt weary and exhausted from the emotional two days we had lived through, it made me…happy, to know someone cared. Circumstances aside, I wasn't used to working alone like this, and having support made it easier to keep going.

"Well, you weren't trapped for long, but for when we do arrive..." She spat out something in her palm, and held it up. "Yindi gave me this, it's a smoke bomb. We're supposed to use it when we get to the base."

I regarded the small capsule thoughtfully. Would it be enough of a distraction to help us escape? There was no way to know until we had to use it.

Scanning the room and evaluating our resources, I was disappointed. Besides the containment pod I'd been placed inside, there wasn't a single bit of metal that wasn't seamlessly melded into the truck, including the tiny round windows set near the top of the doors that appeared our only escape route. The overhead lights wouldn't be easy to rip off, and I wasn't excited about the idea of experiencing another electric shock. I glanced at the pod again, debating if I could lift it or not, before finally deciding that I probably shouldn't try. At least there would be cover for Su-Bin if we needed to exchange fire...

She didn't seem any worse for wear, even if her smile seemed forced. I didn't know how long I could rely on her perseverance, but for now she appeared ready to handle whatever Black Ghost had in store for us. Good.

A high beam flashed through the windows, and I cautiously moved closer, hearing Su-Bin's sharp intake of breath behind me. Looking out, I could see a squad of armed soldiers lining up, adjusting their guns to point straight at the doors. Were there hidden security cameras that showed Su-Bin freeing me? Or were they just playing it safe?

I backed up, considering the worst case scenarios we might find ourselves in if we made the wrong move. At this point, there was really only one course of action, and that was trying to catch them by surprise.

"Hide in the pod, and wait until I tell you to throw the smoke bomb." I commanded, bracing myself against the containment unit. "Keep the lid closed until the explosion is over."

"Explosion?" She repeated in confusion, "What are you-"

Crouching, I barely noticed her reaction as my knee split open, aiming between the doors. I knew how high the odds were that this stunt would end in one of us getting injured, versus Su-Bin's chance of surviving the artillery barrage we would face trying to leave without a preemptive strike; just good enough to risk it.

"Y-Your knee..."

I turned to look at her, and felt instantly exposed. She looked alarmed and confused, but I felt the words die in my throat. This wasn't something I wanted to explain. Hearing snatches of conversation outside, I forced myself to turn my attention back to the doors. There wasn't enough time.

"Get down, and cover your ears."

Aiming for the gap between the door, I heard the lid to the containment chamber close slowly and knew she had listened. I focused on nothing else but the doors in front of me. A single miscalculation and neither of us would survive. Hearing the shouts from outside, however, reminded me that there was no use in hesitating for too long.

Bracing myself, I fired my missile. Like a bullet shot through a tin can, it pierced a neat hole in the door, and the world exploded into roaring flames and the screams of fleeing soldiers. Turning away from the bits of flying shrapnel, I took a deep breath, trying to repress the vivid memories that threatened to surface.

Knowing it wouldn't be long until our captors recovered, I rapped sharply on the containment chamber. The bulletproof glass covering was cracked and covered in soot, but slid open to reveal Su-Bin, still clutching her ears and shaking.

I smiled in tired relief. If we could both survive this far, then we had a chance at escaping this alive.

"Is it over?" She asked, gingerly lifting herself out. The metal floor of the truck was pitted and black from the explosion, but by her lack of reaction 004 could only assume it wasn't super-heated. That would make getting out easier.

"Yeah, we're in the clear for now." Avoiding the flames, I helped her down through the shredded mess of metal and fire, taking cover behind an abandoned garret gun. We appeared to be in some kind of underground base, except the dirt walls and high beam lights seemed to indicate that it was bare bones enough to sacrifice in a fight if push came to shove. There was a solid line of artillery trained on us, unmanned but at the ready. I raised an eyebrow at the sight; they'd had us out-manned and out-gunned, so why retreat? Had my stunt scared them off, or did they suddenly decide to send in the bigger guns?

Surveying the sheer amount of firepower that surrounded us, however, I wondered if they'd be able to survive those kind of odds. Maybe if my targeting system had decided to activate...but a 'maybe' didn't bring me much comfort. Suddenly uneasy, I wondered how many times they would have made it through if it hadn't been for their good luck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Su-Bin reach down to pluck a fallen ray gun from a mess of unused cartridges. Coughing from the smoke, she slid it into the belt of her jeans, a fearful look in her eyes that reminded me of a cornered animal.

"So, where to now? What's the plan?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, only vaguely recognizing where we were. "I'm assuming we're near the front entrance, so if we could find the control room that monitors the main gate, I can lead us to the main hanger."

"Can you fly a plane?"

I gave her a crooked grin at that, remembering the last time we visited the hanger. "Yes, I can."

The expression on her face said volumes, and I couldn't help but laugh. The sense of being emotionless, thoughtless, watching my life play out without even trying to resist orders when they had controlled me was still unnerving, but remembering the last time we'd visited the hanger, that memory felt a little less disorienting and almost...funny. We could have escaped a day ago, if she'd known what order to give me.

"It was too big a risk, I'm not sure leaving a defective cyborg to pilot a plane would have been the best choice." I reassured her.

Su-Bin averted her eyes, and I realized she was genuinely upset. "Maybe...but-"

"It's in the past, don't worry about it. What we need to think about is what we can do now." I said, sizing up our surroundings. Through the tangle of artillery trucks and tanks, I could make out an entrance to a much less well-lit hallway.

"Find me a computer and the heart of the surveillance system, and I'll keep them busy." She was still looking away, but I could imagine the flash of determination in her eyes. "I'm getting us out of here if it's the last thing I do."

"There's one." I said, pointing at a glowing screen I could barely make out in the back of a truck a few yards away.

"I…what?" She sputtered, running over and jumping up to inspect it. I followed a bit more cautiously, thinking that this would make a good set-up for an ambush.

"Somebody left a map of the complex up! Here we are, and…whoa. High command is only a short walk away?"

I frowned, moving the screen so I could see it as well. She was right, a clear hallway only a few yards away and there was high command. I scanned the rest of the map, hoping for something else useful. Something about this didn't feel right.

"I don't trust it."

She closed the machine, looking up at me. "It's worth checking out at least. If it's a trap, there's nowhere else to go."

Studied the map again, my eyes fixated on a few of the offices attached to the hallway that led to our goal. The layout felt strangely familiar.

"Stay behind me and be aware of your surroundings at all time." I sighed, sliding out the back of the truck again. Looking around at the abandoned trucks and supplies, I knew there had to be some kind of catch, but we didn't have much choice.

After a lot of trial and error, we found our way out of the maze of trucks and into a separate hallway. In contrast to the area we'd just left, the walls and floor appeared to be made from some type of white plastic, completely spotless except for…

I stopped in front of one of the offices, staring at a silver plaque with clean black letters.

 **EVA MESSERSCHMITT**

Despite the danger I put us in by lingering, I was drawn to that plaque. I was unaware of opening the door until I realized Su-Bin was speaking, but felt myself drawn inside as if in a trance. I couldn't recall the time I'd spent in this room, that I must have spent standing by for hours as she worked, and that sent a chill through my body that rattled my very soul. What had happened here?

The room itself seemed to offer more questions then answers at first glance. In the centre of the room there was a raised floor with stairs. I could see strange containers filled with a glowing orange liquid and human organs, all neatly placed on a shelf that seemed to hum with energy. An old wooden desk stood in front of it, neatly ordered to the point of obsession, every tower of paper meticulously stacked without a single sheet out of place. This was the focal point of the room, and everything from the green reading lamp to the electric typewriter seemed achingly familiar. In a future where everything felt strange and alien, it was like a small haven of the world I once knew.

Less important were the tables stacked against each wall, each devoted to a separate organized pile. I could see test tubes and bizarre flasks, books and papers, machinery...but most disturbing of all, the table with a mixture of medical tools and torture devices. Gold-trimmed accolades and diplomas crowded the wall, as a massive collection of awards glittered mockingly at me.

The only thing I could think, was how fortunate we were that Eva Messerschmitt had already left.

"There must be a computer here somewhere..." Su-Bin muttered, walking over to examine one of the tables. I decided to start with the desk, picking up one of the papers.

 _ **Culmination of Initial Research - 11:51 PM - July 19, 2015**_

 _Subject BG-CS-X004 : Vital signs normal, but pronounced difficulties with fine motor and speech demonstrates stronger compatibility needed. Subject is completely mute, despite normal brain activity in the speech-oriented portion of the brain. Operation to remove and preserve central nervous system will take place at 14:00 PM. Refer to document 00-64-81 for experimentation notes on replacement mechanics. Thought control system 'Augmented Horizons' will be tested before full mind wipe of subject._

I didn't bother reading the rest, unsettled at the thought these might be the last records of someone's life. I put it down and resisted the urge to straighten it to match the other papers, wondering if Dr. Messerschmitt's obsession with neatness was catching.

"I found a laptop, but...004, come look at this..."

The way Su-Bin's voice wavered filled me with dread, a creeping sensation that we had stumbled across something terrible pressing down on me. She held up one of the containers, and I was startled to realize there was a human brain inside. Barely able to make out a small label near the mechanic pedestal of the bizarre device, I leaned closer.

 **SUBJECT BG-CS-X004 (ALBERT HEINRICH) : REMAINS OF ORIGINAL MODIFIED CEREBRUM**

I reached out to take it from her with shaking hands, staring down at the mess of wires and electrodes covering something that could only be...but how was that was possible? A theory began to take hold of my mind, a terrifying but plausible explanation that I had no choice but to accept: that the last human components in my body had been removed.

If I was no longer a human, or even a cyborg, what was I? A pale imitation of Albert Heinrich, someone the world should have forgotten about fifty years ago? How was I able to think? Were my memories real, or was my entire existence patterned after a dead man?

The glass container slipped from my hands, and seemed to fall as if in slow motion, the orange liquid churning around pale flesh and wiring. Smaller, smoother hands snatched it out from mid-air, and I looked up at Su-Bin's stricken expression in a daze.

"004? Are you alright?"

I wanted to laugh. Of course I wasn't alright. Just when I'd thought there was nothing else to lose, they proved me wrong. How many times would they take away everything from me? How much longer did I have to live through this hell before they moulded me into the perfect weapon and discarded the human being that I used to be?

But they already had, I realized in amazement. Once the program restraining my free will was fixed and my memories were erased, Albert Heinrich would just be a brain in a jar. Black Ghost had won long ago. There was nothing left to fight for.

"004!"

A worried face suddenly appeared in my line of vision, and I snapped back to reality. "There must be some kind of a mistake. Eva herself told me you still had organic parts! Maybe she just decided to clone a few spares to keep around?"

Anger like I never felt coursed through me. "Dr. Eva Messerschmitt? After putting us in danger so many times, and leaving us to die? She must have been lying, that's the only explanation! She probably never expected us to find this."

There was a bitter edge to Su-Bin's voice. "But why would she do that? What possible reason could she have to lie?"

The stress and hopelessness of the situation heating up my anger into something more dangerous. "I don't know! Maybe she wanted..."

I stopped myself just in time. Su-Bin's fury, which moments before had seemed only frustrating, suddenly become more of a judgment. I didn't want to say the rest of that sentence to her, because even if it was true, I didn't want it to be. I was tired of getting more and more distant from humanity.

"...What is it you think she wanted?" Su-Bin said slowly, cautiously. As if sensing she wouldn't like my answer.

It took me a few moments to think of how to respond to that. How the real Albert Heinrich, assuming I still had any connection to that person, would respond. I smirked, leaning against the end of bookcase and letting my bitterness show. The words came all too easy.

"Manipulate you into caring for me, of course. It's a bit harder to see a machine as being human if nothing human is left."

"I don't understand."

With detached interest, I found myself appreciating the carefully preserved forest of nerves and spinal cord in a large tank next to one of the tables. Until I realized, with numb horror, that it was probably another part of my body strung up and on display.

"I don't think you could, unless you were a cyborg." It took everything I had to force my eyes away from the tank. I sighed, crossing my arms and trying not to think of Vena and the last time I'd had this conversation. "I'm not even sure what I am anymore, or what I'm capable of. Eva might have thought the same."

"My grandmother had a prosthetic leg." Su-Bin replied mildly. "I don't think she ever thought missing a body part made her less human."

I held up my right hand, gleaming like an ugly reminder. "I was designed to be a human weapon. That's a little different from replacing a lost limb."

"You're still the same person though, aren't you? I mean..."

Gently, carefully, Su-Bin placed the container on the desk. "If this is you, if this is all people really are, I'm not sure if I want to live in that world. The physical aspect is only part of what makes us human. What about other things? I love my husband, my parents, my grandfather... is that just a chemical reaction produced by my body?"

I frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"That a lot of things in life change based on the meaning you give to them." She said simply, crossing her own arms as if to challenge me. "Emotions are based in chemical reactions, but we see them as more than that. If my family died, that wouldn't change the fact that I loved them and always would. Love is something separate from that kind of cold diagnosis…someone who said that was just a chemical reaction would be considered very cruel, because it's more than that to the people experiencing it. You were human, but you think of yourself as more...you might be right, but that doesn't change the fact you're human as well."

Crossing my arms, I contemplated that answer. "Huh, guess you've got me there."

"Good! Now, I'll just check this computer and we'll find a way out of here." Su-Bin replied cheerily, cracking her knuckles. "This should be a breeze if it's anything like the one I tried before! You can keep searching, but please, stay away from the desks…I've found some dangerous stuff over there that would probably mess up your electronics pretty bad."

Sitting down at the desk, she balanced the laptop on her legs and started to type, a clear dismissal. Forcing my eyes away from the container nearby, I darted behind the bookshelf, hoping to find something of use while Su-Bin worked on the computer.

Blinded by a much more intense orange glow, my eyes adjusted to see a large tank with someone inside. I recognized the silhouette instantly. It was a human clone, a perfect replica, of me. My eyes darted to the right hand. Flesh. Then I checked the joints. Seamless, not a single unnatural corner, only skin.

"Only a few subjects survived the conversion process into the initial prototype cyborg soldiers, do you even realize that?"

Rounding on the voice, Dr. Messerschmitt was standing to the side with her hands in her pockets, a cocky grin on her face. "You were one of only nine anomalies. Oh sure, we have perfected the process for the standard model to minimize a loss of resources, but they were always curious how the prototypes survived such brutal experiments. I broke you down to the bare essentials, the building blocks of your DNA, but we were never able to figure it out. It's one of the many mysteries that made this type of test look appealing."

"What are you talking about?" The typing had stopped, I realized, and Su-Bin hadn't made a single sound or come to check on me.

Dr. Messerschmitt glanced up, touching her hand gently to her chin and digging something out of her pocket. "Uh, hmm, how to put this diplomatically. Thank you for your cooperation, may the glory of Black Ghost continue forever?"

"…What?"

She sighed. "You could have tried for something a little more clever than that, honestly. Oh well, pleasant dreams. Activating dormant operating system, Augmented Horizons!"

My body seemed to freeze in place, my eyesight gradually dimming as statistics and other symbols flashed passed my eyes before it disappeared into darkness.

" _Activating safe mode. Gott, I need to change this so it doesn't completely shut him off to reboot, that could fry his circuitry if I do it too much. I flew right over him and the girl a day ago and he never tried to engage me or anything, his sensors should have gone haywire…"_

" _Come now, Dr. Messerschmitt, there's no need to worry about that. From now on he'll be combat ready at all times, so it really doesn't matter. Is the girl in position?"_

" _Yes, apparently she put up a fight, but they were able to transport her without much difficulty. We should be touching down momentarily, the area is clear of personnel and civilians."_

" _Excellent. Let's proceed with the final test."_

 _Struggling against an unseen force, I tried in vain to move, to shout, to do anything but stand in place and stare unseeing into a sea of wreckage. Where was I? What was happening? I thought my questions would go unanswered, until Dr. Messerschmitt marched into my line of sight, leaning closer then I would normally like her._

" _Welcome to the former region of Incheon, in Seoul, capital of South Korea. Or at least what's left of it. Our bomb squad made sure to level it completely...two days ago? I've been so busy with preparations I barely remember. Oh well, thanks for falling so obediently into our trap, this is the part where I explain how my evil plan will unfold and you are required to listen until I finish. Now-"_

" _Doctor, this is pointless. Send the cyborg into combat, delaying the test will gain us nothing at this point."_

 _Appearing mildly irritated, Dr. Messerschmitt glanced to the left. "Excuse me, I mean no disrespect General Heo, but please don't ruin my fun. While your North Korean troops have been running around trying to suppress rebellion among the ranks for months, I have poured years of research and hard work into this project and I think I deserve a chance to savour this. Without my brilliance, Black Ghost would never have succeeded in restoring one of the zero-zero cyborgs, let alone bringing him into the fold. So shut up."_

" _Why, you dare-!"_

 _Dr. Messerschmitt sighed. "Yes, yes, whatever. This test will be a breakthrough and the crown jewel of North Korean supremacy. We're both going to die in a few minutes so let me say my piece and then we can get on with it."_

 _There was a grumble, but by the slight upturn of Dr. Messerschmitt's lips, I could tell that she had won the fight. Focusing on me again, those piercing blue eyes looked empty of anything despite her sunny smile._

" _In a moment, you are going to go out there and kill that girl. In doing so, you will prove my countless theories on the inner workings of the human mind, and do this despite the entire faculty of your brain being utilized for strategy and cunning. You will kill her, and then I will detonate the nuclear bomb hidden deep within your body exactly an hour before North Korea formally demands surrender from the South. I'm sure plenty of people will die on both sides of the border, but Albert Heinrich will be known worldwide as the man who erased the demilitarized zone and reunited Korea."_

 _Her words washed over me like white noise, but somehow clear as crystal. I felt nothing. Whatever she had done to me, I had the sense that my mind was torn apart into equal parts apathy and attentiveness. My thoughts of resistance had gradually begun to fade away. There was only me, my mission, and my target; everything else existed to complement those three things or obstruct me from them._

" _Now, go!" Barked another voice I recognized as General Heo, and I could turn to look at her, taking in the small, squat uniformed woman without reaction as she glared at me. The burning hatred I saw in her expression needed no explanation._

 _My targeting systems came online, and I walked to the edge of the aircraft carrier, sensing a warm body forty yards away. I considered the distance to the ground, waiting for my sensors to adjust to the brightness. A warm gust of air blew over me, carrying a racid, cloying smell I recognized as decay. I saw my battle plan sketch itself out in the dust and debris in bright neon lines. The target was immobile, possessing no weapons or defense. Vital signs were normal, brain activity was erratic. The perfect time to strike._

 _I felt something wet running down my face, and wiped it away to examine it. Just water, I thought, peering up at the bright blue sky. It couldn't be rain. I didn't bother to think on it._

 _Softly, silently, I landed behind a jagged cut of rock. It was effortless to move, within seconds I was in position, ready to fire at the small, shaking figure curled up on the ground below. The target was whispering quietly to itself_

"They killed everyone. My entire neighbourhood, my friends, my family, Myung-Hwan. Everything I know is gone."

 _I shifted to aim better, and a rock near my foot fell loose, startling the target enough to look up at me. I could barely recognize her face as human, covered in dirt and tears and wide-eyed with grief._

"You were never broken, were you? That's the mistake we both made. They said you were going to kill me."

 _A heavy cloud of dust drifted past, obscuring her from view and making it difficult to discern her heat signature. My battle plan adjusted accordingly, lines were redrawn, new techniques were considered. But I couldn't have missed the sound of her voice if I tried, somehow distinct against the roar of the wind in the distance._

"I really, really want to die right now." _She rasped, and I heard the hitch in her voice just as my systems narrowed in on her location._ "I don't want to live. I couldn't kill you even if I tried, but I know you probably wouldn't want me to die either, would you? This is the best I can do, I'm sorry."

 _The dust dissipated, and I had her again, taking note of the raygun she had removed from her belt and the hand she had raised to her mouth. Gingerly, she plucked out something from her lips, pinching it between her fingers and lifting it above her head. Her arms were shaking, tears streaming down her face, and he could sense her fear._

 _I shot her injured arm, and I saw her cry out in pain and crumple just as she let go of the capsule her hand. A demobilizing gas, caught in the wind, filled the area and I coughed, targeting systems temporarily overwhelmed. I saw a flash, a beam of light that could only have come from the raygun, and fired just as I felt something solid and warm knock into me. As I fell arms wrapped around my waist, and I felt something small jab into the back of my neck._

 _I heard a crack, and then an electronic whine that grew to an unbearable screech that rippled in waves of pain throughout my body. Screaming, I heard a frantic call, a number I barely recognized as my name._

 _My blade was at her throat before I realized what was happening,_ but I reached up to pull my hand up, sensing a moment of reprieve. The more pain I was in the fuzzier the mind control seemed to be, _but I lapsed as the electronic whine fizzled into nothing and my machine body took inventory of the damage._

 _But I had tasted freedom and I wanted it back. I held the arm with my metal hand tight enough to crush human bone, and the blade in my other hand sliced my arm. By focusing on the pain I was able to resist, my systems frantically tried to reboot themselves. I could feel a click, something motorized deep inside coming to life_ as my mind stitched itself together and I was myself again. Panic seized me. Was that the mechanical parts responsible for the mind control breaking, or the bomb activating?

"Nine…"

Dr. Messerschmitt 's voice crackled out, and I sat up to see her and General Heo standing over us with disappointment. I sucked in a breath, instantly knowing the answer. "Su-Bin, I need you to run as far away as you can! Find some place to hide -"

And then what, I wondered frantically, trying to remember the time between a nuclear bomb exploding and the time it would take to hit her. Was there time for her to get far enough away from me to leave the epicenter of the explosion? No, there wasn't, even using some kind of vehicle she would be caught and incinerated in the blast before she knew what was happening.

"Eight…"

Her look of confusion only made me more frustrated, and I tried to stand the both of us up, stumbling a bit as my legs gave out. Whatever she had used to incapacitate me had hampered how my body functioned in a significant way, and even knowing I would have killed her otherwise I felt angry with myself for not being able to stand.

"Dr. Messerschmitt built a nuclear bomb into my body, I think that's the countdown." I snapped, impatiently pushing her away. "Go! Run! There's still a chance you can survive if you leave here as fast as you can!"

"Seven…"

She had started crying again. "I'm not just going to leave you! You can't ask me to do that!"

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! Now get the hell out of here!"

"Six…"

"Do you really think I'm that heartless?!" She screamed, suddenly angry. "That I'd just leave a friend to die?!"

I grit my teeth. This was such a pointless conversation, why couldn't see she there was no other way? Why did she have to be so stubborn? "Get out of here or I'll shoot you myself!"

"Five…"

Sitting back against a rock, I slid to the ground and stared blankly at the sky. It was probably too late for her anyways, I thought, trying not to focus on the crushing grief that came with the realization I would be killing the one friend I had hoped would survive this anyways.

I didn't expect Su-Bin to hug me, but there was a certain kind of desperation in it that made sense to me. It was the kind of desperation that never wanted to let someone go, while you counted the seconds before they died and every segment of your soul broke just thinking you would lose them, possibly forever.

We were virtually strangers, but we were united in the hope that both of us would survive. There was something comforting in that. I closed my eyes, hugged back, and prepared for the end.

"Four…oh wait…"

I heard the sizzle of an energy beam, and opened my eyes just in time to see General Heo's body tumble to the ground. Glancing back up to see Dr. Messerschmitt blow the smoke off a small revolver, the picture of lazy contentment.

"I have a lunch appointment in Brazilia in twenty minutes and I'm already going to be late. Really, I should find myself a personal assistant, this forgetfulness is getting to be a bit much. Well, I just removed one of the highest ranking officers in the North Korean army and got away scot free with most of their more impressive weapons. Enjoy your freedom, I have a date I don't want to miss."

Her laugh sounded familiar, and as I watched her, I could almost see another face take the place of the older woman standing on the cliff above me. My body felt cold and heavy, and I couldn't tell anymore if it was from the malfunctions or from the emotions I was feeling.

"…Doctor?" Spreading throughout my body like a sickness, dizziness made it difficult to focus on her. Whether it was from exhaustion or stress, I felt like I couldn't handle many more surprises. "Who are you?"

She stopped laughing, a very matronly smile settling in place of the smirk I was expecting. "So you recognize me now? That's interesting."

"What's going on?" Said a small voice, and I looked to see Su-Bin clutching at me, frazzled and staring at General Heo's body as if she expected to be next.

Eva sighed. "I'm on your side. I've spent years trying to overthrow Black Ghost, carefully, secretly, hardly daring to let trusted allies know my plans. I planned this whole charade down to the last detail, becoming intimate with every detail of your lives and personalities. I wasn't particularly subtle in trying to herd you two where I wanted you, but you did exactly as expected, and everything went according to plan."

At this, she peered down at General Heo's body, curling her lip up in disgust. The look on her face was hard, and surprisingly cruel. "If someone hadn't insisted on bombing Incheon, someone might have survived this ordeal. For all my intelligence, I could not triumph against the chain of command, and I have failed to completely carry out my mission. But once the mechanisms of war have started, I suppose they're difficult to completely control."

"You knew?" Su-Bin's voice wavered, but she stood up regardless. "All this time?"

"I wanted to ensure your survival. No distractions, no outside help that looked on purpose." Eva replied patiently. "I'm a little done answering questions, if it's all the same to you. Here, take this."

She threw something small and pink at Su-Bin, who caught it and gasped. "M-My phone?"

"I switched it with a fake when you were first kidnapped. I told you, I planned everything, including that little swim. I've watched you for a long time, Ms. Tae. I persuaded high command to use you for this little exercise in the first place because I knew you were the most likely to succeed." Eva shrugged. "I apologize for manipulating you so much, but more lives were at stake then you'll ever know. Speaking of which-"

This time she tossed something in my direction, and I when I grabbed it I realized it was a small paper airplane. Unfolding it, I found a set of numbers and directions in English.

"Black Ghost's major strongholds are recorded on there, everything from geographic coordinates to street names. I know for certain that 005 is being held at the first location, but Black Ghost has been keeping tabs on all the zero-zero cyborgs in secret without any one scientist having access to them all at once. They wanted to avoid another Doctor Gilmore, who incidentally has his current address in Japan listed at the very bottom of that paper."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Now, I think we're done here. See you at a later time, Albert Heinrich, Su-Bin Tae."

"Hey! Wait!" I shouted, but she disappeared behind the cliff.

I heard her call, "I have other ways of getting home, I'll leave this aircraft behind for you, 004. Good luck!"

"Stop!" I tried again to stand up, forcing my legs to work and climbing to the top of the cliff, but I saw nothing but wasteland and the setting sun. She was gone.

I head Su-Bin climb up next to me. "So, that's it?"

"That's it." I felt the paper crumple in my fist.

We stood and watched the sunset for what felt like forever. So many possibilities were stretched out before me. What should I do? Should I try to find Eva? Should I save 005 and continue looking for the others? What about Su-Bin?

A hand waved itself in my face, and I saw Su-Bin's smile, strained but still hopeful. "You know, I would prefer to get going. My husband's brother lives on the opposite side of the city, and he's the only one I…well, there's nowhere else for me to go."

Something in my expression must have troubled her, because she leaned back, looking indecisive. Su-Bin seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment, before smiling again and twirling to face the sunset. Her voice sounded too light. "He'll only take me though, so…see you! I hope you find your friends, and…"

Hesitating, she gently folded her hands together behind her back. "Thank you, for everything. I won't forget this."

She was trying to make this easier for me, I could tell, but despite the clear path in front of me, it still didn't feel right. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Su-Bin replied cheerfully, turning to face me, and her smile was so happy that I could almost forget what she must be feeling. Her eyes were bright with tears.

But I had to rescue my friends. Was there really any choice in this?

I walked a short while away, and glanced back. "I'll see you again. Stay strong."

"I can't promise I'll wait." Su-Bin answered, her tone joking but with an edge of sadness. "We'll see each other again someday, I hope."

It took everything for me to turn away and start walking, but once I began I didn't look back. I couldn't, knowing what I was leaving her behind to deal with. I had to look forward to the future, and then…then maybe I could help her.

Or maybe I'd disappear, leaving her to move on from her grief in safety. Black Ghost wouldn't care about her once they found out the zer-zero cyborgs were reuniting, and it might be easier that way for both of us. I looked into the horizon, seeing Eva's aircraft in the distance. I had a long way to go. I knew better then to guess where I'd end up.

 **The End**


End file.
